US approves 5-minute 'rapid' test for coronavirus disease
In a major development, a US-based medical device manufacturer has won Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval for a new 'rapid' coronavirus test. The method promises to be a portable technique that can fit in any healthcare setting and tell whether a person is infected in as less as 5 minutes. Here's all you need to know about it.
Abbott's new ID NOW COVID-19 test
The new rapid test, developed by a company called Abbott, relies on molecular analysis of samples. Basically, the method looks for fragments of the coronavirus genome to confirm an infection. It can confirm a positive case in around 5 minutes while the confirmation of a negative one, which involves a thorough search to definitively rule out an infection, could take up to 13.
But, how exactly it works?
In order to test a patient with the new kit, a healthcare professional would have to take a swab from the patient's nose/throat and mix it with a solution capable of breaking the virus, releasing its RNA. Then, they'd have to place the processed swab into the company's ID NOW platform, which identifies and multiplies sequences of the coronavirus genome to confirm/deny an infection.
50,000 test kits be provided per day
John Frels, the VP of R&D at Abbott, says the company plans to supply 50,000 ID NOW test kits every day, starting April 1. "This is really going to provide a tremendous opportunity for front-line caregivers...to close the gap with our testing," he told Bloomberg, noting that clinics will be able to "turn that result around quickly, while the patient is waiting."
Portability to be a major advantage
The detection speed of the new test is phenomenal, and it further comes with the advantage of portability. In its current form, the ID NOW test kit looks like a small box weighing under 3 kg, something that makes it ideal for any healthcare facility, starting from small clinics to emergency rooms et al.
No word on global supply of these kits
Abbott says it is working with its customers and the Trump Administration to target the kits where they are needed the most. However, there is no word on when or if the company would start selling it to other countries.
