Rural health operator Affinity Health Partners revealed on Monday the availability of a rapid antibody CE marked point of care COVID-19 test to its facilities and network partners facilities in April under the Policy for Coronavirus (COVID-19) Disease Testing by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The company added that the test is currently being used in Europe and China and was developed three years ago during another Corona based virus epidemic.

Following weeks of research and verification activities to ensure that this "Rapid Chromatographic Immunoassay" meets the requirements of a large and growing public health need for coronavirus screening, the company's screening test is designed as a simple to use, easily deployable inexpensive test that does not require any laboratory intervention.

Using capillary blood from a finger stick, the company's screener receives a result in about ten minutes. The result identifies if the patient is positive or negative for primary and secondary SARS-CoV-2 infection and qualitative detection of lgG and IgM antibodies to SARS-CoV-2.

Considering the complexity of the problems facing rural healthcare, it is critical it is first to appreciate the rural health systems and their challenges and then to execute the rural health network strategy in a way that helps our facilities become more integrated and not isolated.