Israel's COVID-19 breathalyzer test prototype promises results in 30 seconds


Researchers at Israel's Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have put a stake down in the race for an inexpensive, rapid COVID-19 test, reporting in the journal ACS Nano that their breath test has shown promising results in a trial of 140 people in Wuhan, China. The smartphone-sized prototype developed by Israeli and Chinese researchers requires only that users breathe into the breathalyzer-like device for 2 to 3 seconds.
"There are no accessories, it requires no lab processing, and it gives results within 30 seconds of blowing," Techion's Hossam Haick told The Times of Israel. The test uses an array of gold nanoparticles to identify a volatile organic compounds (VOC) particular to the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Haick said the test is based on a cancer-detecting breathalyzer test he developed a few years ago; the cancer test is still being assessed by regulators, but he said "if everything goes well with further clinical studies, I hope it will be available and regulated within six months." He emphasized that unlike other rapid, noninvasive tests, this one has been peer-reviewed and published in a journal. Haick said he expects the tests will cost $2 to $3 apiece.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In the trial, the breath test correctly identified COVID-19 in all 49 confirmed patients, and gave false positives for seven others. Public health officials are searching for an inexpensive test that doesn't require invasive, uncomfortable nasal swabs or the long processing time those swabs need in a lab.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
A tour of Sri Lanka’s beautiful north
The Week Recommends ‘Less frenetic’ than the south, this region is full of beautiful wildlife, historical sites and resorts
-
Crossword: September 14, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fine
Speed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in Intel
Speed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to China
Speed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with Disney
Speed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year