U.S. Deploys New Fast COVID-19 Test

The United Stated is deploying a new fast COVID-19 test nationwide, which U.S. President Donald Trump has already taken, to curb the spread of the pandemic

WASHINGTON, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Apr, 2020 ) :The United Stated is deploying a new fast COVID-19 test nationwide, which U.S. President Donald Trump has already taken, to curb the spread of the pandemic.

Trump tested negative for COVID-19 for a second time on Thursday, with results reported back in less than 15 minutes, according to a White House statement.

Detroit began testing its first responders, bus drivers and health care workers for COVID-19 on Thursday, becoming the first city in the country to use the new testing kits from U.S. medical devices company Abbott Laboratories, according to Mayor Mike Duggan.

The test can deliver positive results in just five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes, according to Abbott Laboratories, with 50,000 such tests expected to be conducted every day from this week.

Authorized by the U.S. food and Drug Administration last week, the test is the fastest available molecular point-of-care method for the detection of COVID-19, said the company.

Molecular testing technologies help detect the presence of a virus by identifying a small section of its genome, then amplifying that portion until there is enough for detection, Abbott Laboratories said, adding that the process can cut testing wait time from hours to less than 15 minutes.

The new test runs on the company's ID NOW platform -- a lightweight box of around 3 kg and the size of a small toaster, which can be set up in a variety of locations.

The fast test machines have been prioritized to be sent to remote and rural areas, Indian house services and northwestern states, Deborah Birx, director of the White House COVID-19 task force, said at a White House briefing on Thursday.

A total of 18,000 machines are out there, she added.

The fast test technology can greatly improve efficiency for COVID-19 testing, Zhang Zuofeng, professor of epidemiology, and also associate dean for research at the school of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Xinhua.

"Once the test comes back positive, the patient, as well as the medical staff and close contacts of the patient, can be quarantined as soon as possible. If the results of the medical staff come back negative, they can return to the front line at once," Zhang said.

However, the machine can only test four people at a time, so it is more suitable for smaller hospitals or testing facilities, Zhang said, explaining that it is not suitable for testing thousands of samples at a time.

Meanwhile, Abbott has not offered any information about the sensitivity and specificity of the new test, Zhang said.

Stepping up new technologies for higher-volume testing remains a crucial step in curbing the spread of COVID-19 in the United States.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States has topped 244,000 as of 22:00 local time (0200 GMT) Thursday, with over 5,900 deaths, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.