New Covid-19 antigen test: Fast and reliable results in just 15 minutes

"With the NADAL® Covid-19 antigen test we have developed a test for the broader public. This allows even more people to be tested for Covid-19, meaning any infected individuals can be detected immediately and other people can be protected", says Roland Meissner, managing director of nal von minden GmbH, based in Moers, Germany.

What is so special about the new test? For one, it is the speed. The result is ready in just 15 minutes. The test is carried out on site and does not need to be sent to the laboratory. For another, it is the performance data. Roland Meissner: "Our NADAL® Covid-19 antigen test has a diagnostic specificity of over 99.9 percent and a diagnostic sensitivity of 97.56 percent. This compares favourably to our well-known competitors". The specificity provides information on whether all healthy individuals tested are recognised as being healthy. The sensitivity indicates whether all sick individuals tested are recognised as being sick.

Meissner: "The laboratories are currently lagging behind and need to be relieved. In addition, an international shortage of reagents is looming on the horizon. Our rapid test – in other words, patient-oriented in-vitro diagnostics – can help here".

For the new antigen test, a swab from the mouth or nasopharynx is taken by medical personnel. The specimen is extracted in a buffer solution and then pipetted onto the test cassette. As with a pregnancy test, the result is then easily readable.