FDA authorizes Abbott’s fast $5 COVID-19 test

FDA authorizes Abbott’s fast $5 COVID-19 test It comes with an app that displays if you test negative Nicole Wetsman The Verge

A COVID-19 test that takes 15 minutes and can be run without lab equipment was just granted emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration. It will cost $5, and runs on a simple card that uses the same technology as a pregnancy test.

The test, called BinaxNOW, is produced by the health care company Abbott. The company is also launching an app that syncs up with the tests, and gives people who test negative for the virus a “digital health pass” that they can display on their phone. CEO Robert Ford said in a statement that the combination of the test and the app offer a “comprehensive testing solution.”

The company said in a press release that it plans to produce 50 million tests per month by October.

“Due to its simpler design and the large number of tests the company anticipates making in the coming months, this new antigen test is an important advancement in our fight against the pandemic,” said Jeff Shuren, director of the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health, in a statement.

The test can be used in doctors’ offices, emergency rooms, and even schools, according to the FDA statement. It runs off a nasal swab. Then, the patient nasal sample gets inserted directly into the BinaxNOW card, and a colored line appears if the test is positive for coronavirus....