India's Tata group said it will soon roll out a low-cost Covid test that gives results in 45 minutes.
The test involves a nasal swab and the results can be delivered using a simple paper strip, similar to a pregnancy test.
Tata's health division chief set out details of the potential breakthrough screening at a UAE-India health forum, attended by government officials from both countries, this week.
He said the Feluda test, named after a fictional Bengali detective, could be made available by the end of the month.
It is simple, reliable, highly scalable and this test does not require expensive machines
It is expected to be priced at less than $7 (Dh25).
“The benefits in the current pandemic is that it is simple, reliable, highly scalable and this test does not require expensive machines,” said Girish Krishnamurthy, chief executive of Tata Medical and Diagnostics, at a virtual event organised by the Indian consulate in Dubai.
“The turnaround time is very quick. In 45 minutes, you can get the viral test and nucleic acid test and more importantly a tamperproof result," he said.
"The product is being tested and is in production mode.
“We are looking to offer it to the world by the end of this month and from that point of time we will start moving a significantly large volume for the world.
“We have interest coming from the UAE and this test will be available very, very soon for your country.”
The Tata group has set up a large plant in India to produce a sizeable volume and is in talks with laboratories and hospitals.
“In the next two to three months, we will be in a position to handle demand from India as well as global demand," he said.
Dr Harsh Vardhan, India’s federal health minister, last week said the test had been approved by the Drug Controller General of India for a commercial launch.
Based on tests during trials and in private labs, Feluda showed 96 per cent sensitivity and 98 per cent specificity.
The accuracy of a kit is based on these two indicators – a highly sensitive test can detect almost everyone who has the virus.
And a high specificity rate will accurately rule out people who don’t have the disease, ensuring fewer false negative and false positive results.
The test was developed by a team at the Delhi's CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, led by Dr Souvik Maiti and Dr Debojyoti Chakraborty.
The main advantage is fast results, affordability, ease of use and mass testing.
“We are working on the next version of this test which can be tested by saliva,” Mr Krishnamurthy said.
“It will not only reduce the time to less than 20 minutes, it is going to reduce the cost significantly.”
He said such breakthroughs were required to get people back in factories, schools, colleges and sporting events.
The Feluda test uses Crispr technology, short for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, or very precise gene-editing to sense the virus.
Several research companies in the US and UK are developing similar paper-strip tests.
The technique can detect specific sequences of DNA within a gene so it is capable of detecting even low quantities of the genetic material of the coronavirus.
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The biog
Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns
Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Food of choice: Sushi
Favourite colour: Orange
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Arabian Gulf Cup FINAL
Al Nasr 2
(Negredo 1, Tozo 50)
Shabab Al Ahli 1
(Jaber 13)
The 12 breakaway clubs
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Duterte Harry: Fire and Fury in the Philippines
Jonathan Miller, Scribe Publications
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
New schools in Dubai
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
RESULT
Huddersfield Town 2 Manchester United 1
Huddersfield: Mooy (28'), Depoitre (33')
Manchester United: Rashford (78')
Man of the Match: Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town)
