A review of recent reports on the applications of optical technologies to detect SARS-CoV-2

Enabling technologies capable of rapid detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and is the key for the rapid and effective control of the outbreaks. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is widely used technique for the detection of SARS-CoV-2, but it requires a time-consuming and labor-intensive platform, limiting its availability in some regions. Applications of optical detection technologies involving sensors and sensitive imaging modalities to the fast and low-cost detection of various types of viruses have been demonstrated. This paper will present a review of recent research reports involving such optical technologies for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19.