This rapid test was approved by the belgian federal agency for medicines and health products (AFMPS) and included in the first line of diagnostic tests for COVID-19 by the public health institute in Belgium (Sciensano).ĬOVID-19 Ag Respi-Strip (Coris Bioconcept, Gembloux, Belgium) is a ready to use test which allows rapid and qualitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 antigen in nasopharyngeal secretions. COVID-19 Ag Respi-Strip (Coris BioConcept, Gembloux, Belgium) is a dipstick immunochromatographic test designed to detect SARS-CoV-2 antigen in nasopharyngeal secretions within 15 min.

Moreover, molecular tests are costly and often time consuming. However, performing RT-qPCR requires special equipment and skilled laboratory personnel familiar with molecular techniques. Real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in respiratory samples is the current recommended laboratory method to diagnose SARS-CoV-2 acute infection. Highly sensitive and specific tests are crucial to identify and manage COVID-19 patients and implement control measures to limit the outbreak. On January 30, WHO declared COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency of international concern and the disease has now spread worldwide. Initially described in China, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 rapidly gained ground and evidence of human-to-human transmission rose. According to phylogenetic analysis, this novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), previously named 2019-nCoV, belongs to the B lineage of Betacoronavirus genus and the Sarbecovirus subgenus and has more than 85% nucleotide sequence identity with a bat SARS-like CoV genome published previously.

A week after alerting the WHO of a cluster of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan, the Chinese authorities announced on 7 January 2020 that a novel coronavirus was identified as the cause of these pneumonia.

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