FDA approves new 5-minute coronavirus test

[Chris Smith]

• The FDA approved a fast coronavirus test that can provide a positive result in 5 minutes and a negative one in 13 minutes.
• The Abbott test can be performed using the company’s widely deployed ID NOW testing machines, which require little training to operate.
• Abbott can ramp up mass-production to up to 50,000 tests per day.
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The world is scrambling to mass-produce more tests able to detect the novel coronavirus more quickly than traditional tests. That’s because the SARS-CoV-2 virus is very contagious, having infected more than 740,000 people around the world in three months. Not only that, but the virus is inconsistent when it comes to symptoms. Some people won’t experience any symptoms for up to 14 days after being infected. What’s worse is that most of the COVID-19 symptoms mimic the flu. The loss of taste and smell is an unusual early COVID-19 sign that people should be on the lookout for, although not all patients might experience it. In most cases, you can’t detect the virus early by looking at symptoms alone. And without symptoms, you won’t qualify for any sort of testing in the US and other countries.

Tests are your best bet once you suspect you’ve been infected, and a quick positive diagnosis can dramatically improve your chances of recovery and dramatically decrease the chances that you'll spread the potentially deadly disease. You’d be admitted to a hospital or quarantined during your recovery to reduce the risk of transmitting the disease to others. That’s where the new 5-minute coronavirus tests can come in handy, especially for specific categories of patients.

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FDA approves new 5-minute coronavirus test originally appeared on BGR.com on Mon, 30 Mar 2020 at 14:45:08 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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