US FDA Approves COVID-19 Diagnostic Kit Providing Results Within 45 Minutes

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a diagnostic kit that can detect the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) within 45 minutes.

On the 21st (local time), according to foreign media, Cepheid, a U.S. medical device company, announced in a statement that it has received emergency authorization from the FDA to use a testing kit that can detect the virus causing COVID-19 within 45 minutes. The director introduced that this diagnostic kit will be used in hospitals and emergency rooms, and is expected to be supplied to hospitals across the U.S. within weeks.

The FDA also stated separately that this diagnostic kit will be released by the 30th of this month.

Until now, in the U.S., samples had to be sent to central laboratories, and it took several days to get diagnostic results. With the development of a kit that can provide results in 45 minutes, confirmed cases can be identified more quickly.

Cepheid explained that no special training is required to use this system.

Alex Azar, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, said, "With the acquisition of new diagnostic equipment, Americans can now get tested more easily when needed."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.