There's a new coronavirus test that's the size of a credit card and doesn't require any lab equipment, and it could help the US get back to school and work
Abbott Laboratories
- Abbott Laboratories just got US approval for a new kind of coronavirus test.
- The test is about the size of a credit card, costs $5, and can deliver results in 15 minutes.
- The test is an antigen tests. Antigen tests are somewhat more likely to fail to identify cases of the virus than lab-based diagnostic tests.
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Abbott Laboratories said on Wednesday it won U.S. marketing authorization for a COVID-19 portable antigen test that can deliver results within 15 minutes and will sell for $5.
The portable test is about the size of a credit card, requires no additional equipment to operate, and can be conducted using a less invasive nasal swab than traditional lab tests, Abbott executives said on a call with reporters.
Abbott expects to ship tens of millions of tests in September, ramping to 50 million tests a month from the beginning of October.
Read more: There are 10 coronavirus tests you can use from home. Here's how they work and where to order one.
The test, BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card, could be used to check that people participating in larger gatherings, such as those returning to schools or workplaces, do not have COVID-19 and could help aid the reopening of the U.S., the executives said.
Abbott created a downloadable app that people who have taken the test could present before entering venues to show that they are COVID-19 free, they said.
Antigen tests are cheaper and faster than molecular diagnostic tests but somewhat more likely to fail to identify positive cases of the virus than lab-based diagnostic tests.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted the approval under its emergency use authorization program. Becton Dickinson and Co and Quidel Corp already market antigen tests.
The United States now has more cases of the coronavirus than any other country at more than 5 million, and hospitals and labs have struggled to meet the demand to test thousands of people.
Read more: The top 20 coronavirus antibody tests ranked by accuracy, and where to find them
Since March, the company has got U.S. authorizations for five other coronavirus tests, including one called the ID Now that can deliver results within minutes and is used at the White House.
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