Role of Sensors, Devices and Technology for Detection of COVID-19 Virus

The world is choking due to once-in-a-lifetime pandemic COVID-19 affecting about 9 million people and causing more than 4.5 lakh deaths worldwide and still counting. The causative agent named as SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) has brought the human race to its knees and its activities to a grinding halt. The rapid transmissivity spearheaded by asymptomatic infectivity and spread are the key attributes for the success of the virus in establishing COVID-19 pandemic in a very short span. To tackle this unusual and extraordinary situation, the best bet left is rapid and robust detection of the pathogen. The present review understands the key biological properties of SARS-CoV-2 utilized to evolve facile, sensitive and robust detection techniques for COVID-19. The scope of the review includes the existing diagnostic techniques with their details from classical biological techniques like RT-PCR to most recent techniques involving novel biosensors, electronics tools, artificial intelligence, machine learning and Internet of Things (IoT). The review elaborates on key methods that can be employed in the future for better managing of the COVID-19 outbreak, thereby guarding against future pandemics.