![\"News](\"https:\/\/media.healthday.com\/Images\/icimages\/fda.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
FRIDAY, Aug. 28, 2020<\/p>\n
The first rapid COVID-19<\/a> test that does not need any special computer equipment to produce results was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Made by Abbott Laboratories, the 15-minute test will sell for $5, giving it an edge over similar tests that need to be inserted into a small machine, the Associated Press<\/i> reported. No larger than a credit card, the Abbott test is based on the same technology used to test for the flu<\/a>, strep throat<\/a>, and other infections. BinaxNOW is the fourth rapid test in the United States that detects COVID-19<\/a> antigens rather than the virus itself. It is considered a faster, but less precise, screening method.<\/p>\n Abbott’s entry into the rapid COVID-19<\/a> test market offers yet another option to expand testing. The FDA also recently approved a saliva test from Yale University that bypasses some of the supplies that have led to testing bottlenecks, the AP<\/i> reported. Neither test can be performed at home. Abbott’s new test still requires a nasal swab be taken by a health care worker, like most older COVID-19<\/a> tests. The Yale saliva test eliminates the need for a swab, but can only be run at high-grade laboratories. Since the start of the pandemic, nasal swab tests that are sent to a lab have been the standard for COVID-19<\/a> screening. While considered highly accurate, the tests rely on expensive, specialized machines and chemicals. Shortages of those supplies have led to repeated delays in reporting results, the wire service said.<\/p>\n Roughly 690,000 Americans are now being tested per day, down from a peak of 850,000 daily tests late last month, the AP<\/i> reported. But many public health experts believe the country will soon need to test vastly more people as schools reopen and the flu<\/a> season arrives.<\/p>\n AP News<\/i> Article<\/a> <\/p><\/div>\n
More Information<\/a><\/p>\n![\"MedicalNews\"](\"https:\/\/images.medicinenet.com\/images\/HealthDay\/healthday.png\")
Copyright \u00a9 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n