A few days ago, I wrote about what I believe to be the best exit strategy for the COVID-19 crisis: a rapid, inexpensive lateral flow assay (LFA) test—as simple to use as a pregnancy test.
The idea is straightforward: with just a drop of blood, in a few minutes a person could know whether they are:
- Negative (not infected),
- Active positive (currently infected), or
- Immune (previously infected and recovered).
Such a test requires no laboratory, no advanced equipment, and no professional technician. It could serve as a free pass for people to return to work and resume daily life. It really can be that easy.
I was not surprised to discover that I am not the first person to think of this simple solution. But I was happily surprised to see success emerging from a place many of us overlook—a so-called “blind spot.”
A group of scientists in Senegal have developed a rapid test, costing only about $1, that delivers results in minutes. (Reported by Al Jazeera and BBC.)
While much of the world watches celebrity scientists in wealthy countries spend billions on complex solutions, a small team in Africa may already be holding a key to our way out of this pandemic.
We should pause, acknowledge, and applaud their achievement. Please watch—and wave back to them.
By Reza Parsa Nejad, PhD
May 1, 2020
