“We know at least 40% to 50% of individuals are asymptomatic positive, so how are those individuals going to know whether they have the disease or not?” Dr. Scott Miscovich of Hawaii’s Premier Medical Group said. “That’s why you still need to have a large amount of surveillance testing available, while you’re pushing your vaccine rates up at the same time.”
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ASSURE In the News
IN THE NEWS | Oceanit’s ASSURE-100 in Honolulu Civil Beat
Oceanit recently spoke with journalist, Eleni Avendaño, about the ongoing trials and development of ASSURE rapid tests. Oceanit’s ASSURE is currently in clinical trials in multiple locations as the rapid tests advance towards submission to the U.S. FDA for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
Need For and Use of Rapid COVID-19 Testing In Hawaii Grows
COVID-19 tests are likely to remain part of our new normal, even as the overall pandemic situation stabilizes in Hawaii, says Civil Beat’s Eleni Avendaño in a new article published on June 3rd.
Despite Vaccines, the Need for Rapid COVID-19 Tests Remains
The need for rapid COVID-19 tests will certainly continue throughout 2021, despite the great progress made on vaccines. Shots will reach everyone who wants them, sooner or later, but perhaps not as quickly as we may like. Rapid tests could be made available right now, without a prescription, so we don’t have to wait months for the vaccine to arrive.
IN THE NEWS | Oceanit Progresses Towards FDA EUA Submission
Oceanit has been hard at work to develop and perfect the ASSURE-19 rapid test for submission to the U.S. FDA for emergency use authorization. Hawaii News Now reconnected with Dr. Patrick Sullivan last week to speak about the huge effort being made and the challenges being overcome as ASSURE-19 moves ever-closer to authorization.
COVID-19 Cases Still Growing, Links to Academic Papers
On October 24th, the United States tracked 78,702 new infections of Covid-19, a +32% 14-day change. The same day, 871 new COVID-related deaths were counted, this represents a +15% 14-day change. Click to find links to important academic papers from experts at Harvard, the University of Colorado at Boulder, Yale University, and more.
PRESS RELEASE | National Institutes of Health Approves Next Round of ASSURE-19 Funding Under the RADx ‘Next’ Program
Oceanit Laboratories received approval from NIH for next round funding under the RADx initiative, receiving an additional $250,000 for further development of the ASSURE-19 rapid Covid-19 saliva test. With this latest round of funding, Oceanit will have access to additional NIH R&D resources through the RADx network of core partners, which can help to expedite moving ASSURE-19 to market.
IN THE NEWS | The Call for Rapid, Point-of-Teed Testing Gets Louder
In Civil Beat this week, reporter Stewart Yerton explored how the calls for fast, frequent and cheap Covid-19 tests are growing stronger by the day. Experts agree that rapid tests can be the critical piece of the puzzle to solve the spread of Covid-19. By detecting infectiousness rather than just presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, we can effectively quarantine those who would readily spread the disease – regardless of if that person exhibits or experiences symptoms or not.
PRESS RELEASE | Oceanit Selected As a Semi-Finalist For the XPRIZE Rapid Covid Testing Competition
Oceanit’s ASSURE-19 Covid-19 test was selected as a semifinalist from a pool of nearly 700 teams from around the world competing for the XPRIZE for Rapid Covid Testing. We will now perform blind proficiency testing on inactive virus samples sent to us by the XPRIZE Foundation as the next step towards becoming a finalist for the award.
The Aloha Protocol For a Safer Reopening with ASSURE-19
As Oceanit moves ahead with in-vitro and in-vivo testing for the ASSURE-19 rapid point-of-need test kits, Hawaii is seeing high, sustained counts for new covid-19 cases each day. Check out the latest articles and coverage of ASSURE-19 from the Washington Post, Hawaii Public Radio, and Honolulu Star Advertiser.