The Sunday Times reported that British scientists have developed a ceiling-mounted COVID alarm which could detect anyone infected within 15 minutes. The device is reported to be a highly-accurate device, which is slightly larger than a smoke alarm and being regarded as a potential boon for screening in aircraft cabins, classrooms, care homes and offices.

Early studies by scientists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Durham University have shown the device has an accuracy of 98-100%, making is as reliable as gold-standard PCR lab-based Covid-19 tests and considerably more so than quick lateral flow tests.

The sensor, made by Cambridgeshire firm Roboscientific, works by detecting chemicals produced by the skin or present in the breath of those infected with coronavirus. It takes 15 to 30 minutes for the machines to sample the air in a large room, with the results sent instantly to a mobile phone or computer. At present, the sensors would cost around £5,000 each, the paper said.