New rapid Covid-19 test to be trialled by British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the first airline in the world to conduct a trial of an ultra-rapid Covid-19 antigen test that displays results within 25 seconds. The saliva test can detect symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals with Covid-19, including variants. If shown to be effective, this test could be a game changer for the beleaguered travel industry and it could also be used to safely open up other business and schools.
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A British Airways Boeing 777
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Medical tech company Canary Global is to provide the Pelican Covid-19 Ultra Rapid Covid-19 test. Recently approved for use in Europe and UK, the test is currently going through U.S. FDA approval and the airline is the first in the world to trial the new technology. The trial will initially be conducted with by British Airways’ flight and cabin crew members and will compare the results against existing tests staff are already taking. Subject to successful evaluation, the airline hopes to be able to offer the test technology to passengers on applicable routes where tests have to meet the stated specificity and sensitivity standards.
The test is a non-invasive saliva ultra-rapid digital antigen test that delivers 98% sensitivity and 100% specificity in symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals with Covid-19. Users simply take a sample of their saliva into a disposable sensor unit, shake and insert it into a re-usable digital reader which is connected to a blue-tooth enabled device like a smartphone, and then wait for the results that appear through a mobile app.
Sean Doyle, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, said: “As we start to see the opening up of travel we remain committed to exploring easy and affordable testing solutions to help our customers travel again, whether it’s for business, to reunite with family and friends or take a…