US gives the green light to the first rapid coronavirus test to be done at home

The Federal Drug Agency (FDA), the authority in charge of approving drugs for commercialization, announced this week that it has approved an emergency authorization for the first test to take the test yourself at home. of the coronavirus, which also offers a result in just 30 minutes.

The test is for single use, will cost about $ 50 or less, is for ages 14 and up, and is available with a prescription.

The test has been developed by Lucira and will initially be available on a limited basis in Florida and California.

It is expected that in spring 2021 it can be accessible in more states.

"While you can do tests to diagnose covid-19 at home, this is the first time that it is possible to do it yourself without the help of a professional and obtain the results at home," said Stephen Hahn, head of the FDA .

"This new test method is an important diagnostic advance to address the pandemic and reduce the burden the public faces of transmitting the disease," he continued.

Until now, people who wanted to be diagnosed with covid-19 had to go to a doctor, a hospital or any other place authorized for it and undergo a test - either a PCR, or an antigen test - which consists of taking sample of the mucosa of the nose - through a swab - and then wait for the results of the analyzes.

Lack of evidence has been a serious problem since the start of the pandemic, damaging the country's ability to fight the spread of the virus.

These days there has once again been an increase in demand for tests due to the proximity of the Thanksgiving holiday and the desire of people to travel and be with their loved ones safely.

An emergency authorization is a temporary permit or under certain conditions granted by the FDA to respond to an emergency situation, such as a pandemic.

They can later be revoked or modified if new data on their efficacy or safety appear.

The agency approved in late April and early May the use of tests to be performed at home but, unlike the Lucira Health kit, those who had to give the results were certain authorized laboratories, so it was not possible to perform the test in House.

Until this Tuesday, the United States registered 11,340,563 cases of covid-19 and 248,429 deaths, the most affected country in the world, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

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