A 60-second COVID-19 breathalyzer test is provisionally approved in Singapore

Singapore skyline.
(Image credit: TOH TING WEI/AFP via Getty Images)

A new 60-second coronavirus breathalyzer test has been provisionally approved for use alongside antigen rapid tests in Singapore, reported Reuters on Monday.

The test, which was developed by National University of Singapore "spin-off" company Breathonix, can detect COVID-19 infection in under a minute with "more than 90 percent accuracy," a Singapore-based clinical trial found. Users blow into a disposable mouthpiece, where software then "assesses the chemical compounds of the breath" for infection, writes Reuters. Positive tests are later confirmed with a follow-up polymerase chain reaction (PCR) swab test.

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Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.