Zymo Research has donated one million Covid-19 test kits to Indian molecular diagnostics company Mapmygenome. The delivery includes Zymo Research’s new DNA/RNA Shield – DirectDetect reagent and swab collection devices. This reagent safeguards viral RNA from degradation and ensures safe, ambient temperature collection and transportation of samples without nucleic acid extraction.

New research has shown that a blood test can help identify healthcare professionals experiencing high levels of stress amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The research was presented at the 2021 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo after a research team from Alexandria University Hospitals in Egypt identified a positive correlation between copeptin in blood levels and psychological stress. The study included 70 physicians and nurses who were treating Covid-19 patients in the ICU.

Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is set to enforce new regulations to enable companies to supply Covid-19 self-testing kits for use at home from 1 November. The move will allow citizens to buy such kits from pharmacies and online stores. In a statement, TGA said that the companies need to secure regulatory approval to start supplying self-test kits.