On Wednesday, Abbott Labs will start making 50,000 COVID-19 tests per day. The company's plant in Scarborough, Maine plans to make more than 1 million tests per month.
The point-of-care test is built off of the company's ID Now product that tests for the flu and strep throat.
According to the company, the new ID NOW COVID-19 test can provides a negative result in 13 minutes, and a positive result in five minutes. Abbott says it's the fastest available molecular point-of-care test for COVID-19.
The FDA gave Abbott emergency authorization to make the test.
The ID NOW COVID-19 test weighs 6.6 pounds and is about the size of a toaster, which means it can be used in non-traditional places to give people their results in a matter of minutes.
Testing is a crucial step in controlling the novel COVID-19 pandemic, and curbing the spread of infection.
Molecular testing technologies help detect the presence of a virus by identifying a small section of the virus' genome, then amplifying that portion until there's enough for detection.
The ID NOW COVID-19 EUA has not been FDA cleared or approved. It has been authorized by the FDA under an emergency use authorization for use by authorized laboratories and patient care settings.
