COVID-19 detection test method developed by IIIT Bhagalpur gets ICMR approval

The cost of diagnosis of COVID-19 infection will be less than INR 100 through AI-based software technology ‘COVZN’. It can detect tuberculosis and other complicated chest diseases too, says Director. 

As per a report published in The Times of India, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has given its approval to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) based software technology ‘COVZN’, developed by the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Bhagalpur for detection of COVID-19, tuberculosis and other severe chest infections at cheaper rate and in less time. The technology can now be used at hospitals and laboratories across the country. 

Researchers at IIIT Bhagalpur had been working on the project since March 2020. IIIT Bhagalpur Director Prof Arvind Choubey, who headed the research team, said the ‘COVZN software technology’ was able to read the scanned chest x-ray film or plate and High Resolution Computed Tomography (CT) scan uploaded to the computer in less than one second through the software programme. 

He said, “The cost of diagnosis of COVID-19 infection would be less than INR 100 through this software technology, compared to the conventional microbiological swab tests at present. It will also save two-three days or even more in getting the test results. The COVZN is able to detect tuberculosis and other complicated chest diseases too.” 

Choubey, along with fellow assistant professor Sandip Raj, claimed that the ICMR and the Union Ministry of Health made elaborate test run before validating the innovative technology through which precious lives, time and money of patients in diagnosing Covid-19 infection will be saved. 

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