Abbott’s Rapid-Response Covid-19 Test; Is the Approval Good News?
Unanswered questions may impede the rollout
What if millions of people could get a quick, reliable test and find out if they are Covid-19 carriers? The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency-use authorization to Abbott Laboratories for a $5 rapid-response Covid-19 test.
Reliable high-frequency testing may present the world with a viable path forward. A widely available test would help kids get back to school safely and allow workers to return to the office. A rapid test might enable us to eat inside a restaurant, take a vacation, or go to a football game.
Is BinaxNOW Covid-19 Antigen Card the solution we have all been waiting for?
Maybe, but we need answers to some critical questions before we hop on a cruise ship.
BinaxNow’s emergency use authorization is approved for use in symptomatic patients in a healthcare setting. But the coordinated release of a free digital health app along with Abbott’s claim to be able to test “millions of people per day” acknowledges this test will be used beyond its limited approval.
The “who, what, when, where, and how” of BinaxNow utilization must be addressed.
