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An American company said Friday it had created a “portable” device capable of notifying in five minutes if a person has coronavirus and in 13 minutes if the results are negative.
Abbot Laboratories said in a statement that the US federal drug agency (FDA) has given it permission to start producing these tests, which it will be able to provide to healthcare professionals next week. The tests will be carried out using a portable device, the size of a small toaster, equipped with molecular technology.
BREAKING: We’re launching a test that can detect COVID-19 in as little as 5 minutes — bringing rapid testing to the frontlines. https://t.co/LqnRpPpqMM pic.twitter.com/W8jyN2az8G
– Abbott (@AbbottNews) March 27, 2020
“The Covid-19 pandemic will be fought on multiple fronts, and a molecular laptop capable of giving test results in minutes will help,” said company official Robert Ford. Thanks to its reduced dimensions, the device can be used outside hospitals, said the official.
Currently limited use
However, this device has not received the green light from the FDA. It has been approved for emergency use only by approved laboratories and health care providers, said Abbot Laboratories. To date, more than three billion people are confined worldwide due to the coronavirus pandemic which has already killed more than 25,000 people.
