Monday 22nd April 2024
While the nations across world are scrambling to alleviate the pressure that the COVID-19 ‘pandemic’ has put on the healthcare facilities, the US has come up with a strategic solution for it.
Cepheid, a California-based molecular diagnostics company, has developed the first rapid diagnostic test that can detect the coronavirus in approximately 45 minutes.
Cepheid received the authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the new diagnostic test on March 20, 2020 and the company intends to roll out the tests by March 30, 2020.
In the need of the hour, wherein delayed and chaotic testing can cost lives, the new diagnostic testing promises to stem the tide of the coronavirus outbreak.
The new coronavirus diagnostic test has been developed to operate on any of the Cepheid’s 23,000 automated GeneXpert Systems globally.
Moreover, the systems can perform tests round the clock and does not require users to have special training.
“With new tools like point-of-care diagnostics, we are moving into a new phase of testing, where tests will be much more easily accessible to Americans who need them,” said U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar.
The present testing regime will take days to give the results as the samples must be sent to a centralized lab.
The US FDA has been striving to expand the screening capacity for the deadly COVID-19 as the country is not even close to meet the domestic demand for coronavirus testing.
So far, the USA has reported 46,157 coronavirus infection cases and 582 death cases, and stood third among the highly infected countries.
As of now, the coronavirus has spread to 184 countries infecting 381,761 people and claiming 16,558 lives.
Stay tuned to Nepali Sansar for live coronavirus news updates in Nepal!
