FDA Authorizes Inexpensive <br />Over-the-Counter Rapid COVID-19 Tests.<br />The FDA has reportedly approved two<br />more rapid COVID-19 tests for at-home use. .<br />QuickVue by Quidel and BinaxNow by Abbott will<br />now be available without a prescription. .<br />The kits include a nasal swab <br />and test strip which can determine<br />results in as little as 10 minutes. .<br />They will be sold in packs of two in<br />order to account for possible false results.<br />These kits have been on the market for a while, <br />but they were previously only available to those<br />who were exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19.<br />According to Abbott, the test kits will have<br />a price in the “single digits” and be widely available<br />in pharmacies, grocery stores and elsewhere. .<br />Vaccines are incredibly important but<br />they are not the end-all, be-all to this<br />pandemic … We need other tools in our<br />arsenal and the widespread availability<br />and rapid scale up of tests for people<br />to use in the privacy of their homes is<br />going to be an extraordinary gain, Dr. Michael Mina, Harvard, to AP
