What companies can learn from unicorn startups to overcome the COVID-19 crisis

Purpose: This paper aims to search measures that unicorn startups have implemented during the pandemic and show what lessons can be learned to help entrepreneurs and small and medium businesses to overcome the crisis. Design/methodology/approach: The method is a multiple case study with five unicorn startups. This study collected data through interviews and analyzed them by the content analysis technique. Findings: The findings show that the pandemic affects negatively unicorns’ businesses;that a digital business model innovation affects them positively;and that innovations moderate positively the negative impact of the crisis. Research limitations/implications: Most interviewees hold operational positions. Practical implications: Three actions stand out to overcome the crisis: adoption of new digital platforms;strategies to increase the network of partners;and adaptations in the provision of payment services. Originality/value: The cases show that entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises need to develop capabilities to innovate in their business models, and digitalization is a solution to face the crisis and overcome it in the future. © 2021, Cristina Doritta Rodrigues and Matheus Eurico Soares de Noronha.

Real-world deployment of lateral flow SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection in the emergency department to provide rapid, accurate and safe diagnosis of COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Point-of-care (POC) SARS-CoV-2 lateral-flow antigen detection (LFD) testing in the emergency department (ED) could inform rapid infection control decisions but requirements for safe deployment have not been fully defined. METHODS: Review of LFD test results, laboratory and POC-RT-PCR results and ED-performance metrics during a two-week high SARS-CoV-2 prevalence period followed by several months of falling prevalence. AIM: Determine whether LFD testing can be safely deployed in ED to provide an effective universal SARS-CoV-2 testing capability. FINDINGS: 93% (345/371) of COVID-19 patients left ED with a virological diagnosis during the 2-week universal LFD evaluation period compared to 77% with targeted POC-RT-PCR deployment alone, on background of approximately one-third having an NHS Track and Trace RT-PCR test-result at presentation. LFD sensitivity and specificity was 70.7% and 99.1% respectively providing a PPV of 97.7% and NPV of 86.4% with disease prevalence of 34.7%. ED discharge-delays (breaches) attributable to COVID-19 fell to 33/3532 (0.94%) compared with the preceding POC-RT-PCR period (107/4114 (2.6%); p=<0.0001). Importantly, LFD testing identified 1 or 2 clinically-unsuspected COVID-19 patients/day. Three clinically-confirmed LFD false positive patients were appropriately triaged based on LFD action-card flowchart, and only 5 of 95 false-negative LFD results were inappropriately admitted to non-COVID-19 areas where no onward-transmission was identified. LFD testing was restricted to asymptomatic patients when disease prevalence fell below 5% and detected 1-3 cases/week. CONCLUSION: Universal SARS-CoV-2 LFD testing can be safely and effectively deployed in ED alongside POC-RT-PCR testing during periods of high and low disease prevalence.