Washington: A study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research introduced Biocogniv's new AI-COVID software that can easily predict the probability of COVID-19 infection. A team of researchers from the University of Vermont and Cedars-Sinai discovered high accuracy in predicting the probability of COVID-19 infection using routine blood tests, which can help hospitals reduce the number of patients referred for scarce PCR testing. Lead author and University of Vermont Assistant Professor Timothy Plante, M.D., M.H.S said, "Nine months into this pandemic, we now have a better understanding of how to care for patients with COVID-19, but there's still a big bottleneck in COVID-19 diagnosis with PCR testing." PCR testing is the current standard diagnostic for COVID-19, and requires specific sampling, like a nasal swab, and specialized laboratory equipment to run. "According to data from over 100 US hospitals, the national average turnaround time for COVID-19 tests ordered in emergency rooms is above 24 hours, far from the targeted one-hour turnaround," Biocogniv Chief Operating Officer Tanya Kanigan, PhD, said.