US FDA approves five-minute ‘Rapid’ coronavirus COVID-19 test

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In what could be a game changer for COVID-19 sample testing, US-based Abbott Laboratories says its molecular test for the coronavirus strain can deliver “positive results in as little as five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes.” The company has also been given the US Food and Drug Administration's approval as 'emergency use authorisation' for the test.

The test called "ID NOW COVID" is one of the many approved diagnostic tests is the US to detect the COVID-19 strain of pathogen within 30 minutes. Abbott president and chief operating officer Robert Ford said, "With rapid testing on ID NOW, healthcare providers can perform molecular point-of-care testing outside the traditional four walls of a hospital in outbreak hotspots." Ford was quoted as saying by Forbes.com.

The company said it will be making ID NOW COVID-19 tests available next week with the ability to deliver 50,000 tests per day.

The ID NOW was first launched in 2014 and is also used for Influenza A & B, Strep A and RSV testing, the company said. "The COVID-19 pandemic will be fought on multiple fronts, and a portable molecular test that offers results in minutes adds to the broad range of diagnostic solutions needed to combat this virus," Ford said.

Currently US has reported 104,661 cases of coronavirus with more than 1,700 deaths. US is fast becoming the new epicentre of this disease overtaking Italy and China. So far, almost 6 lakh cases worldwide and more than 27, 000 deaths have been reported worldwide.