‘better than antigen tests': fda authorizes breath test for covid-19

the device's 91 per cent accuracy would be an upgrade from the rapid antigen tests most canadians have been relying on.

by dave yasvinski

published apr 18, 2022

last updated apr 19, 2022

2 minute read

join the conversation

2 minute read

join the conversation

‘better than antigen tests': fda authorizes breath test for covid-19

it is much easier to provide a sample for a covid-19 breathalyzer test than use the swabs that accompany antigen tests. getty

the future of covid-19 testing could be as simple as blowing up a balloon. the u.s. food and drug administration has granted emergency use authorization to the inspectir covid-19 breathalyzer, a device that can detect the presence of chemical compounds associated with the virus by analyzing a person’s breath. the test, which produces results in less than three minutes, was able to accurately identify more than 91 per cent of positive covid samples and just under 100 per cent of negative samples in a recent study. according to the fda, positive results will still need to be confirmed by a pcr test.

while health canada has not yet received an application for the test, according to global news, experts are eager to get their hands on any innovation with the potential to slow the spread of the virus, particularly in high-risk settings.

“the biggest benefit of a breath test, if it’s not too expensive and it is sensitive enough, is that everybody breathes and you don’t have to learn a whole lot more to do it,” said lisa barrett, an infectious diseases physician and researcher at dalhousie university. “it’s a test that’s adding to an already pretty good set of tools. turn-around time would be one of the big benefits for it.”

the 91 per cent accuracy of the new device would be a considerable upgrade from the rapid antigen tests most canadians have been relying on to determine their infection status. “that’s pretty good,” raywat deonandan, an epidemiologist and associate professor at the university of ottawa, told global news. “it’s better than the rapid antigen tests, which hover around 60 per cent these days, but it’s not ideal.”

it is, however, much easier to provide a sample for the breathalyzer than using the swabs that accompany antigen tests. “it’s not scary, there’s no disincentive for use based upon comfort,” deonandan said.

to produce a sample, a user must exhale for about 10 seconds into a single-use straw attached to the device. this sample is rapidly heated and ionized by the breathalyzer while the unit’s algorithmic software searches for chemical components associated with a covid-19 infection. a green light on the machine indicates a negative result and a red light means positive.

the unit, which the fda says is about the size of a piece of carry-on luggage, must be operated by a qualified operator under the supervision of a healthcare provider, making it ideal for schools, day-care centres and long-term healthcare facilities.

“you’re going to miss some people, obviously, but the number of people you catch will be much higher,” deonandan said. “and so i think it’ll have a profound effect on transmission rates in these key settings.”

inspectir systems, the manufacturer of the device, has not revealed when the units will be available or how much they will cost. experts have already noted a few potential limitations, however, including the supervision required to operate the units. “one of the biggest silver linings to the pandemic, quite frankly, has been that people have gotten access to tools that let them self-determine and self-test,” barrett said. “this is not that tool.”

dave yasvinski is a writer with healthing.ca

don’t miss a thing: sign-up for healthing’s newsletter

thank you for your support. if you liked this story, please send it to a friend. every share counts.