For $5 and in 15 Minutes You Can Learn If You Have COVID-19

On Aug. 26, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave an emergency use authorization (EUA) for a rapid COVID-19 test that can produce results in just 15 minutes, which could not only increase the number of people tested in the U.S., but also identify those who are positive sooner, so they can self-isolate and limit spread of the disease. The testing device, made by Abbott Laboratories and called BinaxNOW Ag Card, is about the size of a credit card and can be easily used anywhere people need to be tested. It analyzes samples from a nasal swab and comes with an app that people can download to receive their results—which could serve as verification that someone is free of infection for schools, employers and other venues where a larger number of people might gather. Any doctor who suspects a patient may have COVID-19, based on their exposure history or symptoms, can write a prescription for the test. The test, which needs to be performed by a doctor, nurse, school nurse or occupational health professional, picks up specific proteins made by SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19. Using a quickly generated readout similar to that in pregnancy tests, the self-contained test opens up like a billfold for the health care provider to insert the nasal swab containing the sample. When closed, the built-in chemical reagents scan the sample for the viral proteins and produces a single band if the test is negative and double bands if positive. Because it focuses on these prote...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 Source Type: news