The concept of point-of-care diagnostics – the rapid and sensitive detection of analytes at or near the patient – has been around for decades. Recent public health experiences, however, have propelled the urgency to develop and deploy point-of-care (PoC) tests into the limelight. Undoubtedly, molecular diagnostics plays an increasingly pivotal role in global health and, as the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic clearly revealed, is a first line of defense in understanding and managing future emergencies. The question is no longer ‘do we need to test onsite?’ but