Teams around the world are working on technology that could assist in the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Early detection will be an additional tool to slow down infection rates and prevent a second 'spike' before a vaccine is found.

In Switzerland a team led by Jing Wang is working to create a biosensor that will be able to detect coronavirus in the air.

The sensor has the potential to be used as an alternative to the polymerase chain reaction, or PCR test, that is used widely to test people for the virus. Someone who thinks they are infected would just need to blow into the sensor to give an instant reading, much like a breathalyzer test.

It could also be used for early detection of the virus, to alert if it is airborne in a certain space, such as an office, train or airplane. Appropriate measures can then be made to eradicate the virus in that area.

"So, if you go to a certain location, go to a train station, for example... and if our sensor can deliver this signal and you see the concentration of the virus in the air is very high... you can try to avoid this space," Wang explained to CGTN's RAZOR program.

"We still need to develop this sensor more so that this sensor can be a deployable instrument in the field. And then we hope that we can use this instrument to study the transmission of the virus," he added.