Keeping up with the Spread of SARS-CoV-2: a Review of the Global Response to the Need for Innovative Tests for Global Population Screening

Respiratory viral infections constitute a global problem in current medicine, veterinary, and plant pathology. Up to now, a vast number of techniques based on microbiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and immunology have been proposed for virus determination. However, most of these assays are time-consuming, require complicated procedures for sample preparations and sophisticated instrumentation. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the need for the development of more accurate, rapid, early and cost-effective bioassays for high-throughput measurements. Therefore, the deployment of biosensors as well as lateral flow assays provides an alternative means to reliable and fast viral detection with tremendous future perspectives.