One of the prime hurdles in the battle against COVID-19 is the lack of testing kits or the time taken to deliver results.
Now, US-based Abbott diagnostics is launching a rapid molecular test that can detect COVID-19 in as little as 5 minutes.
Currently, primary testing takes around 2-4 hours, and secondary testing in the 31 labs that are doing it takes another 3-4 hours. But this process is slowed down by the lack of secondary testing kits in all testing facilities.
According to the Abbott press release, this compact test can be used in a variety of healthcare settings like physicians' offices, urgent care clinics and hospital emergency departments.
The test has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on an emergency, fast-track basis. However, it is still in its launch phase.