COVID results can be known in within 15 minutes… The cost is just €20

Roqu group, an Irish company, has developed a test system that can quickly get the COVID result.

The COVID result can be known within 15 minutes as a part of the new system. The testing trial began in County Roscommon.

The aim is to conduct COVID inspections throughout the area at weekly intervals. The new system will test the nasal swab along with a blood test for antibodies.

People will get results within 15 minutes at a cost of less than €20.

The company says similar testing facilities are in place at Frankfurt, Rome and Dusseldorf airports.

‘The inspection started on Friday with serious concern. Older people are more likely to be in County Roscommon. In most cases, many people live together in the same house. Of these, the main concern was how it would affect the family if one’s test result was positive.’ – Said Robert Quirke, chief executive of the Roqu group.

He said he hopes the village experiment will help reduce the anxiety of those who are unable to go out of the house or go to the shops due to the COVID threat.

He said the testing system was in use in 60 countries and was found to be 97% accurate. The HSE is overseeing the Roscommon experiment but has no financial support.

The project is being implemented in 12 organisations, including two secondary schools and Tala Hospital.

At the same time, there is no guarantee that the tests and experiments will work properly, Professor Sam McConkey warned.

Meanwhile, a similar antigen test was conducted months ago in a village near Bergamo in northern Italy. He said it was useful to identify the COVID spread in rural areas.

Therefore, the new experiment would be beneficial to identify the area without affecting the COVID. It will also help normalise the lives of people in these areas. However, he added that trips out of the area should be restricted to prevent COVID.