Rapid COVID19 testing: Great news for humanity, good news for travel
Oxford scientists have developed a test that gives results in 30 minutes, and the FDA has approved one that takes 45.
Faster testing will tell us a lot more about spread, and make it easier to keep people isolated while they await results. These will save lives, which is obviously the most important outcome.
Testing improvements also offer some hope for the travel industry. Airlines are going to need to develop protocols for ensuring flights are as safe as possible, and that they are not carrying infected passengers to spread the disease to new places. That's impossible without rapid and accurate testing.
(Pictured: Zhanfeng Cui, Donald Pollock Professor of Chemical Engineering at Oxford’s Hertford College, one of the scientists responsible for development of more rapid testing.)