Getting tested for COVID is indispensable right now. But it is so uncomfortable with that swab! Isn’t there a better way? Well, according to this Dutch inventor, a scream test might be a viable solution. What is the QuBA, how does it work, and will we scream to get tested soon?

Screaming to test COVID?

Dit is eigenlijk dé oplossing voor iedereen die een hekel heeft aan die stokjes in z’n neus. (This is actually the solution for anyone that hates those sticks up their nose), he explains. Just scream for 8-10 seconds.

Dutch inventor Peter van Wees had an idea. During COVID times, testing is indispensable. But who wants to get a stick pushed up their nose?

His solution: The Quick Breath Analyzer, or QuBA. It’s an airtight cabin where you have to do a simple thing to find out if you have COVID or not: schreeuwen (to scream)!

The air that you shout out is full of water particles, also those that contain the virus. By filtering out the water, Van Wees is able to find whether you expelled some of the virus or not. This test therefore does not measure whether you are besmet (infected), but besmettelijk (infectious). With high-performance air filtering, the accuracy of the measurements can be ensured. And within one minute, you have your result! This way, up to 120 people can be tested per hour. And while this machine isn’t cheap at 150.000 euros, it can save a lot of headaches, annoyances and waste!

Is the scream test too good to be true?

This all seems too good to be true. With a machine like this, people could simply be tested before being allowed in to an event, for example. So a Dutch festival in the summer? Why not!
However, before the wonder machine can be deployed, it needs to go through more tests. This week, there was some goed nieuws (good news). The trial done in the past few months with the machine came back with good results – the schreeuwcabine (screaming cabin) shows in almost 95% of cases the same results as a PCR test!

Swab tests – so uncomfortable! (Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash)

Eurofins, the company that conducted the test, advised the Dutch Gemeentelijke Gezondheidsdiensten (GGD) (Municipal Health Services) to add the machine to teststraten (test streets) to get more results.

The Dutch government is still hesitant to employ the uitvinding. Other countries already show interest. For instance, the machine is to be tested in German elementary schools soon.

So whether we will use this machine any time soon to test COVID-19 is still uncertain. But it’s looking good so far!

What do you think about this Dutch uitvinding? Would you prefer this to the traditional stick up the nose? Let me know in the comments below!