US drug authority gives green signal to using new two-minute coronavirus test kit

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Reuters
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Emergency medical personnel walk out to an ambulance in Kirkland, Washington, US, March 10, 2020. REUTERS/Jason Redmond/Files

WASHINGTON: A new two-minute coronavirus test kit has been given the green signal by the US Food and Drug Administration, parent company Bodysphere Inc said on Tuesday.

The FDA has been rushing to approve tests on an emergency basis and last week approved Abbott Laboratories’ test that can deliver results within minutes.

Bodysphere said it was working with the federal and state governments to deliver the test — for emergency use — to the frontlines.

The test is administered like a glucose test but is designed for use strictly by medical professionals.