by Through a blood sample, the test can detect antibodies to the new coronavirus, which could signal a person may have already been infected. (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given emergency approval for use of the serological test developed by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche, the company announced on Sunday. The test is designed to determine whether a person has been exposed to the new coronavirus and developed antibodies against the disease. The Basel-based firm says that its Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 test has a specificity rate of 99.8% – which lowers the chance of false positives – and detects antibodies with 100% sensitivity. Roche has started shipping the new test to laboratories around the
Topics:
Swissinfo considers the following as important: 3) Swiss Markets and News, 3.) Swiss Info, Featured, newsletter, Sci & Tech, Sci & Tech
This could be interesting, too:
Mark Thornton writes The Great Chocolate Crisis of 2024
Mustafa Ekin Turan writes How EU Law Has Made the Internet Less Free for Everyone Else
Thomas J. DiLorenzo writes Attention mises.org Readers! Treat the Students in Your Life to The Best Week of Their Year
Octavio Bermudez writes Mises in Argentina: Lessons of the Past for Today
Through a blood sample, the test can detect antibodies to the new coronavirus, which could signal a person may have already been infected. (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given emergency approval for use of the serological test developed by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche, the company announced on Sunday.
The test is designed to determine whether a person has been exposed to the new coronavirus and developed antibodies against the disease.
The Basel-based firm says that its Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 test has a specificity rate of 99.8% – which lowers the chance of false positives – and detects antibodies with 100% sensitivity.
Roche has started shipping the new test to laboratories around the world and says it plans to increase production to “high dougle-digit millions per month” to supply countries that accept the CE mark as well as the US.
Scientists worldwide are in a race to develop serological tests, as results can help policy-makers better understand the disease, determine who may have had the virus and who may have immunity, and what measures may still be needed to fight the pandemic.
You Might Also Like
Using lake water to help reduce Switzerland’s carbon footprint
Swiss lakes offer huge potential as renewable energy sources that can be used to cool and heat buildings. Geneva is expanding a pioneering thermal exchange project to help meet its climate goals, while other regions are taking the plunge. After transport, the second and third biggest sources of national greenhouse gas emissions are Swiss industry (20% of total in 2017) and households (18%).
Technical problem shuts down Swiss nuclear power station
The Leibstadt nuclear power station in northern Switzerland has been disconnected from the power grid and shut down because of a technical fault. Once the cause has been clarified, the plant will be put back into operation as soon as possible, the operator said. It is not clear when that will be.
Swiss firms lauded for climate protection measures
Nestlé, Givaudan, Panalpina and the Bern Cantonal Bank are among 179 companies given a top “A” rating in a global survey of transparency and action on climate change. On Monday, non-profit group Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) published its study of 8,000 companies worldwide. Only 2% of them made it onto the A-list, the organisation said.
Swiss fintech firms venture deeper into Middle East
Swiss fintech company Instimatch has launched into the Middle East, having won a licence to operate in Qatar, and signed up its first Kuwaiti bank. The mineral and cash-rich region is proving a magnet for financial innovation from Switzerland. Instimatchexternal link’s digital platform directly connects deep-pocketed corporate, financial and municipal lenders with global investments.
One fifth of pupils ‘falling though remote learning net’
There is a big difference in the amount of time pupils are spending at their studies during the corona school closures, a Swiss-led study has found. Some children are doing five or more hours a day, others just one or two.
More high-profile brands desert the Baselworld fair
Rolex, Patek Philippe and Chanel will not exhibit at the Baselworld watch and jewellery trade show in 2021. The announcement marks another blow to the event, which has already seen high-profile exits, including by the Swatch Group.
Coronavirus exit plans for tourist industry mooted
Hopes have been raised of a re-opening of tourist facilities, including restaurants, in Switzerland in June as part of the government’s exit strategy from the coronavirus restrictions.
Former UBS boss Marcel Ospel dies aged 70
Ospel, who was ousted from his job as chairman of UBS in 2008 after fallout from the US subprime mortgage crisis, passed away on Sunday due to cancer. Born in Basel in 1950, Ospel began his career in 1977 with the Swiss Bank Corporation, an investment bank, before later engineering its merger with UBS in 1998.
Tags: Featured,newsletter,Sci & Tech