  The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which
causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is a threat to the global
healthcare system and economic security. As of July 2020, no specific drugs or
vaccines are yet available for COVID-19, fast and accurate diagnosis for
SARS-CoV-2 is essential in slowing down the spread of COVID-19 and for
efficient implementation of control and containment strategies. Magnetic
immunoassay is a novel and emerging topic representing the frontiers of current
biosensing and magnetics areas. The past decade has seen rapid growth in
applying magnetic tools for biological and biomedical applications. Recent
advances in magnetic materials and nanotechnologies have transformed current
diagnostic methods to nanoscale and pushed the detection limit to early stage
disease diagnosis. Herein, this review covers the literatures of magnetic
immunoassay platforms for virus and pathogen detections, before COVID-19. We
reviewed the popular magnetic immunoassay platforms including magnetoresistance
(MR) sensors, magnetic particle spectroscopy (MPS), and nuclear magnetic
resonance (NMR). Magnetic Point-of-Care (POC) diagnostic kits are also reviewed
aiming at developing plug-and-play diagnostics to manage the SARS-CoV-2
outbreak as well as preventing future epidemics. In addition, other platforms
that use magnetic materials as auxiliary tools for enhanced pathogen and virus
detections are also covered. The goal of this review is to inform the
researchers of diagnostic and surveillance platforms for SARS-CoV-2 and their
performances.
