The world's first COVID-19 screening system with a high sensitivity of 97%, surpassing antigen detection!

Wash your hands with hydrogel and smell it, then answer a short questionnaire
with a QR code.
These very simple actions constitute the world's first patented mass screening system
for Covid cases.
A research team from the University of Rovira Vigili has developed this method
based on artificial intelligence technology, in collaboration with the Pere Vigili Institute of Health.
The model immediately identifies who is at low, intermediate, and high risk with a sensitivity of up to 97%.

The first prototype of the device has been installed at the entrance to St.
Joan's University Hospital in Royce, and the findings have been published in the journal Scientific Reports
.

Citrus fruits and apples are the first two odors that are undetectable in people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus
.
Loss of smell – that is, loss of the ability to smell – has been one of the typical symptoms of Covid since the beginning of
the pandemic.
But this is not the only one
.
High fever, headache, cough, malaise, and sore throat are all symptoms of coronavirus, but also of a cold or flu
.
So, without any diagnostic tests, how do you know which virus is causing your symptoms? The patented system is based on a hydroalcoholic gel with the addition of a specific concentration of citrus extract
.
Eduard Llobet, a researcher in URV's Department of Electronics, Electrical and Automation Engineering, said: "We know from previous findings that this smell is one of the first smells that Covid patients cannot perceive when they lose their sense of
smell.
We tested with different concentrations until we determined the concentration we needed," he added
.

The test was performed on approximately 500 patients who presented to the emergency department and Royce Primary Care Center during the second wave of the pandemic due to Covid-19-like symptoms or asymptomatic but had close contact with a positive case
.
They have to rub their hands with gel and smell
it again after three seconds.
If they recognize citrus fruits, the result is negative; If they can't smell the gel or smell the aroma of citrus fruits, the result is positive
.
Once this was done, study participants had to fill out a short questionnaire that included the results of an olfactory test and other data such as age, gender, and presence or absence of different symptoms
.
Youcef Aceli, a researcher at IISPV, explains: "Based on our calculations, we gave each symptom a diagnostic value, and we think that there are 8 symptoms that are statistically significant
in detecting the disease.
" Once the participants gave their answers, they took a PCR test to check the results
.

Albert Fernandez, URV researcher and developer of artificial intelligence-based algorithms, said: "The system we developed is based on machine learning, and the results of the questionnaire are used to generate a model capable of detecting Covid-19 cases
at scale when resources do not allow diagnostic tests.
" These data ensure almost total sensitivity (97%), which makes it a useful method for
screening populations.

"The average sensitivity of antigen tests on the market is 80%, which means a false negative rate of 20%.

We have developed not as a diagnostic test, but as a screening system designed to detect as many positive cases as possible and prevent false negatives
.
”

The device is designed to clarify people's risk of contracting the coronavirus, which will help break the chain
of transmission.
"The aim is to protect the most vulnerable populations and remind people with Covid symptoms to stay at home or take extreme precautions such as wearing masks and following the recommendations
of health authorities," said Aceli.