New medical implant can detect COVID-19 in 5 minutes or less

This significantly speeds up early detection.

April 19, 2021

New medical implant can detect COVID-19 in 5 minutes or less

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Like other contagious diseases, the best way to stop the spread of COVID-19 lies in early detection of the virus.

This means, in this day and age, we have to be aware of any symptoms that may pop up over time. But not everyone can recognize symptoms when they present themselves. And as we all know, failing to do so could lead to virus transmission.

But things could change with a new medical microchip developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a military lab unit working under the U.S Department of Defence.

Designed to be implanted under the skin, the microchip can detect COVID-19 in the bloodstream within minutes.

The microchip itself is carried in a green tissue-like gel. When implanted, the microchip will be able to display chemical reactions in the body, which signals the 'user' that COVID-19 symptoms will appear the next day.

IMAGE: 60 Minutes / YouTube

“We can have that information in three-to-five minutes,” said retired Colonel Matt Hepburn, who worked for years at DARPA.

According to Hepburn, the microchip could very well be used in U.S. sailors, especially after an incident that involved a COVID-19 outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which saw 1,271 crew members test positive.

And with the implant, blood is continuously tested.

Once the chip sends you a 'signal', you'll be able to test yourself for COVID-19. IMAGE: 60 Minutes / YouTube

“It’s like a ‘check engine’ light,” Hepburn said, further explaining that anyone using it would immediately get a kind of signal that would prompt them to self-administer a COVID-19 test.

“As you truncate that time, as you diagnose and treat, what you do is you stop the infection in its tracks.”

Before you fire up some conspiracy theories, just know that these COVID-19-detecting chips won't be able to track movement or location.

In fact, medical microchip devices have been around (and in use) for quite some time. Back in 2004, for instance, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a radio frequency identification device (RFID) called VeriChip that allowed doctors to view a patient's medical records for quick and efficient assessment.

The FDA's approval of VeriChip met tough opposition. IMAGE: Wired

In the years since, a slew of implantable microchips have been developed for various medical purposes, like ones for the delivery of different types of drugs (including birth control), and even microchips that help monitor heart health.

And speaking of new developments, DARPA also recently invented a special filter that can be attached to a dialysis machine and literally remove COVID-19 from the blood of critically-ill patients.

Tested on 'Patient 16', a military spouse in intensive care due to COVID-19, a full recovery was made in just four days. This is impressive considering the fact that the patient was in near-death condition, suffering organ failure and septic shock.

The filter has already received emergency use authorization from the FDA.