The GeNose C-19 team confirmed that GeNose is still being used in public facilities in various sectors, straightening out information that the GeNose C19 is prohibited from being used for transportation trips and that its distribution permit has been withdrawn.
“There is a lot of likely untrue negative news about GeNose that must be clarified to the public,” said GeNose Team Spokesperson, Dr. M. Saifudin Hakim on Wednesday (7/7).
There is a rumor that GeNose C19 is officially banned as a travel condition. This is a unilateral conclusion to the Emergency restrictions on community activities (PPKM) policy 3 – 20/7/21, which does not include GeNose as a condition for traveling during Emergency PPKM. The distribution permit of GeNose C19 is also still valid, so there is no reason to prohibit the use of GeNose C19 in the community.
While on hiatus, the GeNose C19 research and development team uses this time to add new variants of the Covid-19 virus to their technology, carrying out the External Validation Test. It will help the electronic nose detect Covid-19 suspects more accurately in real-life situations in the field.
“GeNose’s accuracy is still at 93-94%, and we will continue to improve it,” added Hakim.
According to Hakim, the addition of data for the new Covid-19 variant will further strengthen Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the accuracy of the GeNose C19. The GeNose C19 must continue to be used in real situations to increase its AI. “The GeNose C19 works like a nose and an electronic brain. If trained simultaneously, it will become an innovative technology that is practical, simple, and precise,” said Hakim.
Currently, GeNose C19 still serves as a screening tool in various sectors and activities, including offices, campuses, Islamic boarding schools, and corporations. “Operators have nothing to lose by owning the GeNose C19. In the future, we can develop GeNose C19 to detect other respiratory-related diseases, not only Covid-19. Only by replacing its so-called brain,” explained Hakim.
Hakim also dismissed public doubts about the ability of the GeNose C19 to detect the possibility of Covid-19 in users. “Our data shows that GeNose C19 can detect suspected Covid-19 positive users in the travel corridor,” he said. The data indicates a 9% positive percentage rate (positivity rate) in the population of prospective walkers who are asymptomatic or feel healthy. This figure is close to the national average positivity rate of 14%.
