Allow the test, extracted specimen and/or controls to equilibrate
to room temperature (15-30°C) prior to testing.
1. Remove the test cassette from the sealed foil pouch and use it
within one hour. Best results will be obtained if the test is
performed immediately after opening the foil pouch.
2. Invert the specimen extraction tube and add 3 drops of extracted
specimen (approx.75-100μl) to each of the specimen well(S)
respectively and then start the timer.
3. Wait for the colored line(s) to appear. Read the result at 15
minutes. Do not interpret the result after 20 minutes.
SUMMARY
The novel coronaviruses belong to the β genus. SARS-CoV-2 is an
acute respiratory infectious disease. People are generally
susceptible. Currently, the patients infected by the novel
coronavirus are the main source of infection; asymptomatic infected
people can also be an infectious source. Based on the current
epidemiological investigation, the incubation period is 1 to 14
days, mostly 3 to 7 days. The main manifestations include fever,
fatigue and dry cough. Nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat,
myalgia and diarrhea are found in a few cases.
Influenza (commonly known as ‘flu’) is a highly contagious, acute
viral infection of the respiratory tract. It is a communicable
disease easily transmitted through the coughing and sneezing of
aerosolized droplets containing live virus.1 Influenza outbreaks
occur each year during the fall and winter months. Type A viruses
are typically more prevalent than type B viruses and are associated
with most serious influenza epidemics, while type B infections are
usually milder.
The gold standard of laboratory diagnosis is 14-day cell culture
with one of a variety of cell lines that can support the growth of
influenza virus.2 Cell culture has limited clinical utility,
as results are obtained too late in the clinical course for
effective patient intervention. Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase
Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) is a newer method that is generally more
sensitive than culture with improved detection rates over culture
of 2-23%.3 However, RT-PCR is expensive, complex and must be
performed in specialized laboratories.
