Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Private Lab Announces Portable 5-Minute Coronavirus Test Amid Nationwide Shortages, Slow Results
Bloomberg: Abbott Launches 5-Minute Covid-19 Test
Abbott Laboratories is unveiling a coronavirus test that can tell if someone is infected in as little as five minutes, and is so small and portable it can be used in almost any health-care setting. The medical-device maker plans to supply 50,000 tests a day starting April 1, said John Frels, vice president of research and development at Abbott Diagnostics. The molecular test looks for fragments of the coronavirus genome, which can quickly be detected when present at high levels. A thorough search to definitively rule out an infection can take up to 13 minutes, he said. Abbott has received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration “for use by authorized laboratories and patient care settings,” the company said on Friday. (Cortez, 3/27)
The Washington Post: Home Tests For Coronavirus Not Yet Approved By FDA
When Austin-based Everlywell unveiled a new test for the coronavirus that people could buy online, use at home and mail back with results in 48 hours, the company was confident the product would be a hit. The botched rollout of the federal government’s testing effort had left consumers hungry for alternatives. The company, which sells a variety of other home tests, was “inundated” with requests for a coronavirus one, said chief executive Julia Cheek on March 19, four days before it planned to put 30,000 tests up for sale at $135 each. (McGinley, Mufson and Dwoskin, 3/27)
The Washington Post: Despite Trump’s Claims, The U.S. Is Far Behind In Coronavirus Testing
President Trump gave the United States a pat on the back on this week, saying the nation had done more coronavirus testing than South Korea, a country widely seen as a model in its management of the pandemic. But his comparison was misleading. “Just reported that the United States has done far more ‘testing’ than any other nation, by far!” Trump said in a tweet Wednesday morning. “In fact, over an eight day span, the United States now does more testing than what South Korea (which has been a very successful tester) does over an eight week span. Great job!” (Mooney, Mufson and Ba Tran, 3/27)
Kaiser Health News: What Takes So Long? A Behind-The-Scenes Look At The Steps Involved In COVID-19 Testing
After a slow start, testing for COVID-19 has ramped up in recent weeks, with giant commercial labs jumping into the effort, drive-up testing sites established in some places and new types of tests approved under emergency rules set by the Food and Drug Administration. But even for people who are able to get tested (and there’s still a big lag in testing ability in hot spots across the U.S.), there can be a frustratingly long wait for results — not just hours, but often days. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) didn’t get his positive test results for six days and is now being criticized for not self-quarantining during that time. (Appleby, 3/30)
Boston Globe: Why Does It Seem The Rich And Famous Get Tested For Coronavirus While Others Don’t? It’s Complicated
The alarming rise in the number of deaths and positive cases of COVID-19 has prompted a veritable race to get tested. Some celebrities, politicians, and top athletes, many with mild infections or no symptoms at all, have seemingly received tests and results in hours, while others have coughed and stressed for over a week. Discussion of this divide has bounced around virtual meeting rooms and burned across social media: Just how does a person qualify for a test and how long should they have to wait for results? The answer: It depends. (Lazar and Ryan, 3/28)
San Francisco Chronicle: San Francisco To Open 3 New Drive-Through, Drop-In Coronavirus Testing Sites
Three new mobile COVID-19 testing sites will open in San Francisco next week, as health officials race to expand testing capabilities ahead of a predicted surge of patients in the coming weeks. San Francisco will have seven drive-through or drop-in testing sites operating once the three new locations become operational by the end of next week, though some of those locations are reserved only for health care employees and first responders. (Fracassa, 3/27)
