A “super fast” coronavirus test that can produce results in less than 25 seconds has been hailed as a “game changer.”
British Airways (BA) is conducting trials on the “highly intelligent” saliva test which can detect variants of the virus.
Flight and cabin crew members will be asked to take the Pelican COVID-19 antigen test as part of a trial with medical company Canary Global.
The airline will then compare the results with those obtained by existing tests.
British Airways described the test as a “game changer” in the hopes it could play a role in opening up travel.
It comes as the government released a traffic light system for international travel that will be permitted again from Monday.
Only 12 destinations are on the green list – countries that British travelers can visit without having to isolate themselves on their return – including Portugal and Gibraltar.
But four of the most popular destinations for British tourists – Spain, France, Italy and the United States – have been placed on the orange list – meaning a 10-day home quarantine when travelers return home. .
BA Managing Director Sean Doyle said the airline was “determined to explore simple and affordable testing solutions to help our customers travel again.”
“We believe this new ultra-rapid test is a game-changer, so we are delighted to be working with the Canary team to begin the first tests with our flight and cabin crew, before exploring the role it could play in as a customer testing option, ”he added.
The airline said the “non-invasive” test correctly identifies 98% of people with COVID-19 and 100% of those who do not.
Users place a sample of their saliva in a disposable sensor, shake it, and insert it into a reusable digital reader, connected to a Bluetooth enabled device such as a smartphone.
The results are displayed on a mobile application within 25 …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-05-13 11:29:00
