Psomagen is expanding its SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic services to include at-home saliva collection kits. Apart from its GutBiome and Gene Trait testing, the company now offers direct-to-consumer saliva collection test kits for identifying Covid-19 in adults aged 18 and older. The test results arrive 24 hours after the saliva samples are evaluated in Psomagen’s laboratories.

The San Francisco International Airport is expected to launch a free Covid-19 testing programme for international travellers through a pilot programme with the California Department of Public Health. The voluntary programme is expected to offer free testing kits to passengers on their arrival, the first to be administered on the day of arrival and the second PCR test kit to be administered in three to five days. This is the first such initiative in the country, which aims to help the state’s department of public health to monitor Covid-19 variants and create mitigation strategies.

BiologyWorks has received (ISO) 13485:2016 certification to develop its fast molecular diagnostic test, the BiologyWorks k(now) test, which will enable the qualitative detection of pathogens and molecular biomarkers for SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses and infections. The ISO 13485:2016 certification is usually granted to companies that have quality management systems, which consistently meet customer and regulatory requirements.