English 
Spanish 
2 min read
These and other equipment are in operation in the UFRJ laboratory and can triple the testing capacity
As the transmission of the coronavirus returns to the alert zone, the Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability of the UFRJ (NUPEM) begins to use robots in the molecular diagnosis and serological analysis of the Covid-19 tests that arrive from the public health units of Macaé.
Donated by the company Constellation, the robot manages to do the job faster and more accurately than the human being, tripling the diagnostic capacity. Today the laboratory performs 100 PCRs a day, but with the equipment it could reach 300. The automation of some stages of the work will allow the researchers to dedicate themselves to discovering new circulating strains of the virus in Macaé.
- Fintech Zoop opens 50 job openings throughout Brazil in the home office modality
- Wind energy – Enel Green Power will invest BRL 5,6 billion in projects in Brazil
- Mineradora Samarco in Mariana – MG announces the resumption of its activities
The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the municipalities of the North and Northwest Fluminense is at 27.451 and the number of deaths reached 897. Macaé, Campos and Itaperuna are the cities with the most cases. The survey is from the “Panel Covid-19 Norte e Noroeste Fluminense”, a digital platform that daily gathers some of the main data released by the Health Secretariats of the 22 municipalities that comprise the two regions.
- After nearly going bankrupt with oil, Eike Batista reveals that the focus is now on Brazilian agribusiness with investments in super sugarcane
- Forget about bikes on the highway! Government is considering banning cyclists from riding on the roads
- 'Highway of Death' contract signed by Lula and government becomes target of opposition criticism
- End of oil? No way! Petrobras extends the lifespan of its first large pre-salt platform
The laboratory of the UFRJ Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability (Nupem) has already carried out 12 tests since the end of April this year.
molecular tests
Molecular-based Covid-19 tests detect the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the virus that causes Covid-19) and, when carried out on a large scale, make it possible to infer the nature and spread of the virus, important information for the confirmation of cases and isolation guidelines.
Molecular-based tests are performed on a sample taken from the nose or back of the throat. The tests analyze specific viral genetic material that shows the presence of the virus in the body.
Sample preparation and analysis usually takes place in specialized laboratories using large molecular systems.
