COVID-19: US researchers develop new blood test to quickly detect severity of infection

Amid the continued surge of COVID cases across the world, health care experts are trying to find various measures to protect people from the deadly coronavirus disease. Recently, a team of researchers in the US has created a revolutionary blood test that could detect the severity of the infection and how to best treat COVID-19 patients using the results. According to a report published by Changing America, George Washington University researchers have reportedly developed a blood test that can quickly find out if a person has COVID germs inside their body and also predict how severely that person’s immune system will react to the infection. Notably, this discovery could possibly become a milestone of success in the post-pandemic era and could greatly help doctors understand the best course of treatment for people with COVID-19. 

Researchers develop a new blood test to detect the severity of COVID infection

The proceedings of the study were published in the Public Library of Science. The scientists took samples from the patients who were admitted to the George Washington University Hospital Intensive Care Unit and arranged the whole blood RNA with COVID-19 patients. The samples included in the study ranged from asymptomatic patients to severe COVID patients, and after collecting blood samples, experts observed visible changes in the cells of people with COVID-19. During the research, it was found that severity in COVID patients was linked with an increase in neutrophil activity and a decrease in T-cell activity. The experts noted that there was a significant change in the neutrophil activity, which clearly indicates an infection, which could possibly be a novel coronavirus or variant pathogen.

Professor of medicine at George Washington and lead researcher on the project, Timothy McCaffrey, said in a statement, "This test could prove very valuable during the pandemic, especially as variants continue to spread and doctors need to be confident in identifying the problem and providing effective treatment. When we sequence whole blood RNA, we’re given a fuller, more dynamic picture of what’s happening inside the body, and our test helps identify those who need more aggressive treatments."

The researchers have also claimed that this technique would be able to detect any infection with a high degree of accuracy. "That has applications for all sorts of conditions wherein doctors diagnosing patients need to quickly rule in or rule out whether they are dealing with an infection or something else," said McCaffrey.

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