A first-of-its-kind rapid blood test could lower COVID-19 mortality by identifying which patients are responding to drug treatments and which patients are still deteriorating and need higher doses of medication. Presenting at the virtual 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC), researchers at the Rabin Medical Center in Israel said a 15-minute blood test for a protein known as IP-10 could help guide treatment with corticosteroids. A separate multi-national research team shared their finding that a blood test for calprotectin could predict which patients are at risk of decline, enabling hospitals to better allocate essential resources. (AACC news release, 12/13/20)
