The News Journal

 The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday issued an emergency use authorisation for what it said was the first device that can detect Covid-19 in breath samples. The InspectIR Covid-19 Breathalyzer is about the size of a piece of carry-on luggage, the FDA said, and can be used in doctor’s offices, hospitals and mobile testing sites. The test, which can provide results in less than three minutes, must be used under the supervision of a licensed health care provider. “Today’s authorisation is yet another example of the rapid innovation occurring with diagnostic tests for Covid-19,” said Jeff Shuren, director of the FDA’s Centre for Devices and Radiological Health. The FDA is also supporting the development of more testing capabilities, Mr Shuren said. The agency said the test was validated in a study of 2,409 people, where it correctly identified 91.2 per cent of positive samples and 99.3 per cent of negative samples. It performed similarly in follow-up tests focused on the Omicr...

 Nearly half of the European companies in Hong Kong plan to fully or partially relocate operations and staff out of the city, a survey suggests, in the latest sign that the world’s toughest Covid-19 travel and quarantine restrictions are eroding the appeal of Asia’s main finance hub. About 25 per cent of responding companies said they planned to fully relocate out of Hong Kong in the next year, a survey by the European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong revealed, while another 24 per cent said they are planning to partially move out of the city. A pedestrian crosses an empty street in Hong Kong's central business district.  And about 34 per cent of firms said they were uncertain about their plans, while only 17 per cent said they had no desire to relocate over the next 12 months. The negative results, which come amid a surprisingly chaotic coronavirus outbreak, are the latest measure of declining business confidence in a once freewheeling city that has been increasingly isolated...