Instant Covid Tests London to launch first test centre using 20-second Virolens technology

• Announcement follows The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) registration of Virolens, which is now the fastest COVID-19 screening device in the country
• Instant Covid Tests London’s (ICTL) test centre is based at The Brewery events space in the City of London, neighbouring thousands of workplaces
• ICTL offers quick and effective testing solutions, offering businesses and individuals a fast-track back to normality

ICTL is set to open its doors for safe and fast COVID-19 screening in the City of London. Through ICTL, businesses can now arrange for their employees to be efficiently and safely screened for COVID-19.

On arrival, people will be promptly tested using the MHRA registered Virolens machine, which employs microscopic holographic imaging and artificial intelligence to detect the presence of the COVID-19 virus. It delivers a result within 20 seconds, making it the fastest screening device in the UK.

ICTL’s immediate launch has been made possible by already having a pool of trained staff and a proven operating model, derived from hosting trials of the Virolens machine. The ICTL website is now open for bookings and business enquiries. 

ICTL Marketing Director, Simon Lockwood, said:

“Instant Covid Tests London is using Government-registered Virolens technology to allow many of London’s workers to safely return to their offices and workplaces. The technology is the first of its kind and a breakthrough in the battle against COVID-19.

“We’re proud to have used the Brewery events space to set up ICTL’s first test centre, which now offers our neighbouring workplaces a fast-track return to normality.

“We welcome enquiries from local businesses and individuals seeking immediate and highly-accurate COVID-19 test results delivered by trained and experienced diagnostics support staff.”

iAbra Founder, Greg Compton, said:

“The Virolens technology is ground-breaking in its approach to screening for the virus. Whereas most COVID-19 testing technologies are based on chemistry, Virolens is based on physics.

“It successfully utilises artificial intelligence to image and identify the presence of a virus at a microscopic level in just seconds, without the need for a laboratory. This is a major step forward in the fight against COVID-19. “

Details of the Virolens registration announcement can be found here: https://www.londonstockexchange.com/news-article/TTG/virolens-r-registration-received-in-great-britain/14914697

ICTL has launched it’s website for bookings from Tuesday 6^th April onwards

Further information and bookings at: http://www.instant-covidtest.com/

Virolens key information:

• 98.1% sensitivity, 99.7% specificity, 96.4% PPV, and 99.9% NPV

• Unlike conventional PCR and lateral flow tests, which require a swab to the back of the throat and upper nasal cavity, the Virolens tests use a less intrusive saliva swab test from around the wisdom teeth and the back of the tongue. The saliva sample is placed in a cartridge and inserted into the Virolens machine which captures images of the sample. The camera images are then analysed by a powerful AI engine to identify diffraction patterns that uniquely indicate the presence of coronavirus virions.

ICTL key information:

• Individuals are allocated a pre-booked slot for assessment in ICTL’s facilities in Central London, and issued with a QR code.

• Individuals then progress to a testing booth where they are met by an operator, who scans their booking QR code and checks their ID. The individual is then handed a Virolens pack in a sealed plastic wallet, which contains a swab for them to take a sample of saliva from the wisdom tooth and back of tongue area.

• The swab is then placed in a cartridge which is placed by the trained operator into the machine to carry out the analysis. The machine carries out the test and provides the result in 20 seconds on a dashboard. The operator then confirms the result on the booking system and directs the individual to the exit door if the result is negative. A certificate to confirm the result of the test is immediately sent to the individual via SMS and email.

• If the result is positive, the individual is directed to the welfare room, where they are met by a medical professional, who provides advice and further information. The positive test is automatically registered with NHS Test and Trace.

• ICTL has created a Healthcare Management System designed that meets the requirements of the International Organization for Standardisation (ISO) across the following areas:

o    The Standard for Quality Management, ISO9001:2015;

o    Best practice guidance for laboratories and point of care testing (POCT) contained in the requirements of PD ISO/TS 22583:2019 (Guidance for supervisors and operators for point-of-care testing devices);

o    Medical laboratories – requirements for quality and competence (BS EN ISO15189:2012); and

o    Point-of-care testing, requirements for quality and competence (BS EN ISO22870:2016).

• ICTL has registered with the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to gain accreditation against ISO15189 (medical laboratories) and ISO22870 (point of care testing).

For further information on ICTL - contact ICTLpress@gkstrategy.com or Joe Cormack on 07535 605467