Abbott Labs cleared for fast $5 COVID test that avoids lab delay

A 15-minute Covid test from Abbott Laboratories that will be priced at just $5 has been granted emergency authorization for use in the U.S., a breakthrough that could ease the bottleneck that has crimped much of the nation’s testing capacity.

The product, dubbed BinaxNOW, works without relying on laboratory equipment at a time when labs can take as long as two weeks to produce results. It uses a nasal swab and a small reactive card, and it can be administered by a range of health-care workers, including pharmacists, at almost any location.

Abbott will start shipping the test within two weeks and intends to manufacture 50 million tests a month by the end of October. The aim: Meet a surge in demand from Americans seeking to return to in-person schoolrooms and work.

The new test “can be used at a massive scale to help overcome the current waiting game for test results,” said John Hackett, divisional vice president of applied research and technology at Abbott Diagnostics, in a telephone interview.

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/health-care/abbott-labs-cleared-fast-5-covid-test-avoids-lab-delay

HELP US SPREAD GOOD NEWS!

I run this site in my spare time and thoroughly enjoy giving you all positive news!  If you've enjoyed the site we'd love for you to help me share the good news far and wide, share us on Reddit, your Facebook or your Twitter and spread a little positivity around.

ENJOY FEEL GOOD, INSPIRING STORIES AND VIDEOS ?

Our new page here is just what you need, with just good news, feel good stories unrelated to COVID.