FDA opens door to rapid, at-home screening for COVID-19
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday opened the door to COVID-19 testing that could be fast, cheap, and handled entirely at home — if companies don’t find the rules too burdensome.
Routine screening of people who don’t know they have COVID-19 could transform the fight against the disease.
“These types of tests will be a game-changer in our fight against COVID-19 and will be crucial as the nation looks toward reopening,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said in 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 who have COVID-19 symptoms. It often takes days to get results — by which point the person may have already infected others.
Other tests are fast, but so expensive they’re unlikely to be used
