FDA Authorizes Inexpensive
Over-the-Counter Rapid COVID-19 Tests.
The FDA has reportedly approved two
more rapid COVID-19 tests for at-home use. .
QuickVue by Quidel and BinaxNow by Abbott will
now be available without a prescription. .
The kits include a nasal swab
and test strip which can determine
results in as little as 10 minutes. .
They will be sold in packs of two in
order to account for possible false results.
These kits have been on the market for a while,
but they were previously only available to those
who were exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19.
According to Abbott, the test kits will have
a price in the “single digits” and be widely available
in pharmacies, grocery stores and elsewhere. .
Vaccines are incredibly important but
they are not the end-all, be-all to this
pandemic … We need other tools in our
arsenal and the widespread availability
and rapid scale up of tests for people
to use in the privacy of their homes is
going to be an extraordinary gain, Dr. Michael Mina, Harvard, to AP