A team of Polish scientists in Poznań have created a test for the coronavirus. It has passed testing and received approval from the health authorities, with production now expected to begin next week. The Polish government has already ordered 150,000 units.

To już oficjalna informacja: Państwowy Zakład Higieny kowalidował POLSKI TEST NA KORONAWIRUSA jako 100-procentowo skuteczny! W przyszłym tygodniu wyprodukowanych zostanie pierwszych 150 tysięcy. Ten test uratuje życie wielu z nas i pozwoli szybciej uruchomić polską gospodarkę. — Jarosław Gowin (@Jaroslaw_Gowin) April 10, 2020

“We will [no longer] be dependent on whether others are willing to sell us the test or not,” Marek Figlerowicz, director of the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Poznań, where the test was created, told Gazeta Wyborcza.

The estimated cost per test is 50-80 zloty (€11-17), compared to around 400 zloty for ones imported from China. Last week, Poland’s health minister admitted that the authorities had been having to “fight tooth and nail” to secure equipment on international markets.

“Production of the tests allows not only for savings from the central budget, but is also a matter of national security,” Figlerowicz added, saying that the scientists had worked day and night for three weeks to develop the tests.

#Poznań #COVIDー19 polski test na koronawirusa bliski produkcji, pierwsze próby na prawie 100 chorych pomyślne, wniosek o rejestrację złożony, powinien być zaakceptowany za kilka dni. 150 tysięcy testów ma być wyprodukowane w kilka tygodni. Więcej o 15 w RadiuZET @RadioZET_NEWS pic.twitter.com/jdsjV6XHXS — Danka Woźnicka (@DankaWoznicka) April 9, 2020

The tests will be produced by three Polish companies: Future Synthesis, A&A Biotechnology and Medicofarm. The latter firm says it will be able to produce 20,000 units per week. Figlerowicz hopes that the 150,000 tests ordered by the health ministry will be ready within a month.

The scientists from the Poznań institute believe that their test is as reliable as others available on the market. Their product is also universal, meaning it can be used by any laboratory equipped to conduct genetic testing.

The outgoing minister of science and higher education, Jarosław Gowin, announced today that testing by the National Institute of Hygiene has confirmed the new coronavirus tests as “100% effective”.

The news boosts hopes that the Polish government will be able follow the recommendations of the World Heath Organisation, which has identified testing as the backbone of an effective response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Poland has so far conducted far fewer tests, around 100,000, than most of its European peers. The figure for Germany is 1.3 million. In relation to population size, Poland has conducted the second lowest number of tests in the EU, above only Romania, reported OKO.press.

Poland has carried out the second lowest number of coronavirus tests per million inhabitants among EU countries, according to @Worldometers data presented by @oko_press. Via: https://t.co/BLeJBVbHmd pic.twitter.com/6ifrBMoaw2 — Notes from Poland ?? (@notesfrompoland) April 5, 2020

The Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences has been conducting research on numerous viruses, such as HIV, HCV and flu, for years. The team, nicknamed the “virus support group”, comprises 40 scientists.

“Each army has its own special troops, something like GROM [Poland’s military special forces]. We [also] have such divisions in the Polish Academy of Sciences. They are the ones to implement innovative research, though most of the time they stay out of the limelight”, said Figlerowicz.

Niedawno pisaliśmy o tysiącu przeprowadzonych testów w ramach działań naukowców z Wirusowej Grupy Wsparcia. ?Z dumą… Opublikowany przez Instytut Chemii Bioorganicznej Polskiej Akademii Nauk – ICHB PAN Wtorek, 7 kwietnia 2020

The team’s work on developing a test received financial support from the authorities in the Wielkopolska Province, where Poznań is located. They have also been granted 8 million zloty by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

Gowin, the departing head of the ministry, tweeted yesterday: “My last decision as minister was to provide the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Poznan with funding for the production of the coronavirus tests. May this great success of Polish researchers give us all some hope.”

Gowin this week resigned from the government in protest against holding presidential elections amid the current epidemic, which he argues would be a grave risk to public health.

Ostatnią moją decyzją jako Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego przekazałem Instytutowi Chemii Bioorganicznej PAN środki na produkcję pierwszych 100 tysięcy polskiego testu na koronawirusa. Niech ten wspaniały sukces naszych naukowców będzie dla nas wszystkich źródłem nadziei. — Jarosław Gowin (@Jaroslaw_Gowin) April 9, 2020

Main image credit: Governor Tom Wolf/Flickr (under CC BY 2.0)