Breathalyzer tests capable of rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 would go a long way in simplifying and broadening access to coronavirus screening testing. Now comes word that a team of researchers in China has developed a new breathalyzer that can detect the virus in five to 10 minutes that requires only that test subjects exhale into a bag for 30 seconds. The Diagnostic Challenge Most of the currently available tests for detecting the SARS-CoV-2 virus rely on tissue specimens that must be collected by throat or nasal swabs. As a result, developing a test methodology to eliminate swabbing and simplify sample collection has become a focus for a growing number of scientists and laboratory companies around the world. While saliva testing currently seems to offer the most promise, progress is also being made in breathalyzer applications capable of using the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) a patient exhales to detect the virus. There are 12 signal breath-borne VOCs that can be used as “fingerprints.” The Chinese Rapid Breath Test The new rapid breath test, which was reported by the English-language Chinese newspaper Global Times, is based on a study conducted by scientists from the Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control of […]