This image provided by The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (orange)—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells (green) cultured in the lab.
Image Credit: (NIAID-RML via AP)
June 02, 2020 - 1:41 PM
A Kelowna company is one of four across Canada working on “breakthrough solutions” for rapid COVID-19 testing.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday, the federal government is funding four companies as they meet that aim. Among them is Metabolic Insights, which is based in Kelowna. According to the company website, the issue with COVID-19 testing is that what's currently available is expensive, requires a centralized laboratory test, qualified personnel and there's a shortage of reagents.
The platform the company is working on aims to solve these issues short and long term while providing expanded testing capabilities with one device that requires no specialized training and is non-invasive and affordable.
It was just one way the country is doing more to satisfy its own needs relating to COVID-19, Trudeau said in a briefing the focused largely around personal protective equipment.
“Working with suppliers from around the world is key to keeping Canadians safe, but at the end of the day, one of the best ways to ensure we have what we need… is to make it right here at home,” Trudeau said.
Demand, he said, is only going to increase for protective gear as more businesses and sectors reopen.
Canada has received more than 100 million surgical masks, though that is just a third of what the government has ordered.
He also noted that nearly 40 million gloves have been procured, yet the government has ordered more than one billion.
Millions of syringes have also been procured to ensure Canada has the supplies ready when a vaccine is available.
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