US Patent 11011278 Methods and rapid test kits facilitating epidemiological surveillance

A method for facilitating epidemiologic surveillance for a target disease such as Covid-19 includes a step of using an optical identifier such as a barcode or a numerical code to rapidly report de-identified test results to a central database. A rapid test device may be based on a direct flow point-of-care device comprising a porous membrane with at least one recombinant antigen applied thereto and procedural control. The recombinant antigen may comprise an epitope for detecting the target disease marker. The first optical identifier may be applied to the device and facilitate remote communication of the test results without the use of any specialized equipment.