First Rapid Point-of-Care Coronavirus Test Gets FDA Emergency Use Authorization

Politico Pro is reporting that the FDA has given emergency authorization for a rapid point-of-care coronavirus test that can deliver results in 45 minutes instead of hours. This test could prove to be an important development for hospitals that have struggled so far to get timely results from the coronavirus tests currently in use. The existing tests depend on real-time polymerase chain reaction, a technique that can take several hours to run. By comparison, many point-of-care tests — for such conditions as flu or strep infection — can be processed quickly at a physician's office. The point-of-care coronavirus test, which is being manufactured by Cepheid, runs on the company's GeneXpert System. "An accurate test delivered close to the patient can be transformative — and help alleviate the pressure that the emergence of the outbreak has put on healthcare facilities that need to properly allocate their respiratory isolation resources," remarks David Persing, Cepheid's chief medical and technology officer.