Chembio Diagnostics launches rapid DPP COVID-19 serological point-of-care test to determine exposure to the COVID-19 virus.

Chembio Diagnostics, Inc. a leading point-of-care diagnostic company focused on infectious diseases, announced the US launch of the rapid DPP COVID-19 serological point-of-care test for the detection of IgM and IgG antibodies. These results can be obtained within 15 minutes from a simple finger stick utilizing Chembio’s MicroReader 1 and MicroReader 2 analyzers which are produced by Chembio Germany.

The ability of the DPP platform to provide numerical results can aid clinicians in determining current or past exposure to the COVID-19 virus and monitoring infection progression, while avoiding the human interpretation errors associated with visual readings.

The DPP COVID-19 test detects antibodies in the blood that are produced by the body in response to a novel coronavirus infection. Numerical readings of the IgM and IgG antibodies have the ability to assist clinicians in determining patients who have been exposed to the novel coronavirus, even among patients who exhibit mild to no symptoms. Detection of an acute infection phase, as determined by the level of IgM antibodies, helps determine if a patient may still be infectious and could possibility transmit the infection to another person. Further along in the infection progression, the body typically starts to produce IgG antibodies, which increase while IgM levels decrease until eventually only IgG antibodies are present, demonstrating prior infection without the ability to transmit the virus.

FDA approved under Emergency Use Authorisation.