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FDA authorizes use of new two-minute test kit for coronavirus

FILE PHOTO:  The spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York
FILE PHOTO: People wait in line to be tested for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while wearing protective gear, outside Elmhurst Hospital Center in the Queens borough of New York City, U.S., March 30, 2020. (REUTERS/Jeenah Moon)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the emergency use of Bodysphere Inc’s test that can detect the coronavirus in nearly two minutes, the privately held company said on Tuesday.

The FDA has been rushing to approve tests on an emergency basis and last week approved Abbott Laboratories’ <ABT.N> test that can deliver results within minutes.

Bodysphere said it was working with the federal and state governments to deliver the test to the frontlines.

The test is administered like a glucose test but is designed for use strictly by medical professionals.