The Coronavirus worldwide pandemic has infected 334,468 people and caused 14,597 deaths worldwide, as of the time of writing. Scientists, doctors, and nurses are working day and night in order to fight it; without having a cure for it as of yet.
The current Coronavirus tests take days in order to show results. Now, the US Food and Drug Administration just approved the first rapid Coronavirus test that takes only 45 minutes.
It was developed by California-based molecular diagnostics company Cepheid. The company says that they are going to be able to start rolling out the tests to hospitals and emergency rooms by March 30th.
The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said, “With new tools like point-of-care diagnostics, we are moving into a new phase of testing, where tests will be much more easily accessible to Americans who need them.”
However, there is skepticism whether the US can meet the domestic demand for Coronavirus testing.
Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci was asked whether they can fulfill the demand, to which he replied: “We are not there yet.”
There are also no details on how much this test will cost. However, the United States Congress has recently passed a bill that Coronavirus testing should be free.
The testing is currently approved for use in the US but there is no word on whether this test will be deployed internationally.
Scientists have said that the delay in testing endangers the lives of medical professionals. This Coronavirus test, which takes only 45 minutes, is a life-saver for them as it saves them time and limits their exposure to potentially infected patients.
It is understandable that, since the United States is barely able to meet the local demand for Coronavirus testing, they would be silent on plans to begin deploying the test worldwide.
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