FDA opens entryway to fast, at-home screening for COVID-19

FDA opens entryway to fast, at-home screening for COVID-19 The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday opened the door to COV...

FDA opens entryway to fast, at-home screening for COVID-19

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday opened the door to COVID-19 testing that would be fast, cheap, and handled entirely reception — if companies don't find the principles too burdensome.

Routine screening of individuals who do not know they need COVID-19 could transform the fight against the disease.

"These sorts of tests are going to be a game-changer in our fight against COVID-19 and can be crucial because the nation looks toward reopening," FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said during a statement announcing how the agency will approve at-home tests.

So far, the FDA hasn't allowed anyone to sell tests for at-home use.

Lab tests to detect the coronavirus are accurate, but they're often restricted to people that have COVID-19 symptoms. It often takes days to urge results — by which point the person may have already infected others.

Other tests are fast, but so expensive they're unlikely to be used regularly. A clinic in Massachusetts, for instance , charges $160 per rapid test; it isn't covered by insurance.

With COVID-19, people are most contagious within the few days before they develop symptoms and as symptoms first develop.

Screening reception , maybe once or twice every week , would allow people to check themselves before getting to work or school, aged an airplane, attending an occasion , or visiting an elderly relative. Letting people know they're infectious in real-time would enable them to self-quarantine, and it might allow others to travel about day-to-day life without risk of infecting others.