ABSTRACT
In this research, we have constructed and optimized the colloidal gold labeled lateral flow strip (LFS) for rapid detection of antigen of SARS-CoV-2 and rapid screening of COVID-19. Based on the constructed and optimized colloidal gold lateral flow strip, the parameters of the LFS have been well evaluated with the clinical samples in the professional labs. The screening performance have also been evaluated from the aspects including the CT values, age distribution and onset of symptoms. Finally, based on the detection results of 420 clinical samples, the LFS can achieve the screening of COVID-19 with the positive percentage agreement (PPA, sensitivity), negative percent agreement (NPA, specificity), the positive predictive value (PPV) and the negative predictive value (NPV) of 96.8%, 100%, 100% and 96.6%, respectively, indicating the powerful potential for practical screening applications in pandemic control. Of great significance, this developed SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection method has also been successfully utilized for screening of delta-variant of SARS-CoV-2.