It would take less than three minutes for passengers to get the result (of GeNose screening).Jakarta (ANTARA) - Artificial Intelligence-based coronavirus breathalyzer GeNose C19 will serve as a screening tool for COVID-19 and will not replace the PCR swab test, Research and Technology Minister Bambang P. S. Brodjonegoro stated.
Each unit of GeNose C19 can be used for 100 thousand COVID-19 screening tests, Brodjonegoro, the head of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), noted during a visit to the Pasar Senen Railway Station, Jakarta, on Wednesday.
The tool can detect COVID-19 following two days of infection.
"It would take less than three minutes for passengers to get the result (of GeNose screening) and more importantly is the price for the test. The tool is priced at Rp60 million per unit, but it can be used for 100 thousand tests. Hence, passengers will not spend a lot of money," he remarked.
Brodjonegoro and Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi inspected the application of GeNose C19 installed at the Pasar Senen railway station.
"I applauded the transportation minister for the support and for installing it here at the Pasar Senen Station," he added.
GeNose is installed at the Pasar Senen and Yogyakarta railway stations and will be officially used for conducting COVID-19 screening of passengers from February 5.
The tool will further be installed at airports.
GeNose C19 is the brainchild of the COVID-19 Research and Innovation Consortium that worked under the coordination of the Research and Technology Ministry/BRIN.
GeNose C19 had undergone diagnostic tests at eight hospitals, with a total of nearly two thousand nasopharyngeal samples.
Diagnostic tests indicate that GeNose can detect COVID-19 with a sensitivity level of up to 92 percent and a specificity of up to 94 percent.
GeNose works by detecting Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) formed due to COVID-19 infection through exhalation into a special bag.
PT Swayasa Prakarsa is distributing GeNose at a retail price set at Rp62 million per unit.
Brodjonegoro reiterated that GeNose will not replace the PCR test as a gold-standard COVID-19 diagnostic test.
"GeNose is a screening tool to separate which passengers can be taken aboard the train. Those who tested positive must take the PCR test later," he stated.
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