A year into the pandemic, where are all the fast, easy home tests?
3 years, 11 months ago

A year into the pandemic, where are all the fast, easy home tests?

CNN  

CNN — Last March former President Donald Trump said “anybody that wants a test can get a test” for Covid-19. “Almost all the infections happen from people who don’t know that they’re positive, and so what you need is a widespread testing program that helps people identify when they are infectious so they can stop infecting other people,” said Dr. Ashish Jha, a professor and dean at the School of Public Health at Brown University who wants more widespread testing. One, the Trump administration “didn’t want to see positive test results.” While that’s no longer a problem, he thinks, the “regulated environment” in the US would also need to change. “We don’t have the legal framework or the regulatory framework to think of a test in the United States as a public health tool, only as a medical diagnostic tool,” Mina said. “If we actually got these tests into the average American’s home and we asked every American to use a test twice a week, it takes 30 seconds to use – as you brush your teeth, you use a Covid test – that would be enough to empower people to know their status,” Mina said.

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History of this topic

Has the next pandemic already started?
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Has the next pandemic already started?

Al Jazeera  

New cases of avian flu are raising alarm of a possible new pandemic. It is crucial to avoid repeating mistakes from the COVID-19 pandemic, especially when dealing with H5N1, where the risks could be even greater due to its high mortality rate. Tests should be made available worldwide – including in low- and middle-income countries – and prioritised in populations …

More free COVID-19 tests from the government are available for home delivery through the mail
1 year, 1 month ago

More free COVID-19 tests from the government are available for home delivery through the mail

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Americans can order more free COVID-19 tests online for home delivery. The U.S. government is offering to send another round of four at-home virus tests ahead of the typical surge in cases during the winter holiday season. The new release of free COVID-19 nasal swab tests also comes ahead of the first winter since the pandemic started that …

Biden government to deliver free COVID tests again to US households
1 year, 3 months ago

Biden government to deliver free COVID tests again to US households

Live Mint  

The US Department of Health and Human Services said on September 20 that it will deliver COVID-19 tests for free to households across the country, reported Reuters. The health agency said that starting from September 25, households will again have the option to request four free tests via COVIDTests.gov. The HHS further said that these tests are designed to identify …

Ramp up Covid testing to stay alert: Centre to states
1 year, 9 months ago

Ramp up Covid testing to stay alert: Centre to states

Hindustan Times  

The Union government on Saturday directed states to increase testing for Covid-19 as per the World Health Organization’s guidelines to effectively check any increase in its spread, people familiar with the matter said. “In the past several weeks, in some states Covid-19 testing has declined and the current testing levels are insufficient as compared to the standards prescribed by WHO,” …

FDA: Take 3 home tests if exposed to COVID to boost accuracy
2 years, 4 months ago

FDA: Take 3 home tests if exposed to COVID to boost accuracy

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — If you were exposed to COVID-19, take three home tests instead of two to make sure you’re not infected, according to new U.S. recommendations released Thursday. Previously, the Food and Drug Administration had advised taking two rapid antigen tests over two or three days to rule out infection. Thursday’s update reflects the evolving understanding of the accuracy of …

Pandemic gets tougher to track as COVID testing plunges
2 years, 7 months ago

Pandemic gets tougher to track as COVID testing plunges

LA Times  

Testing for coronavirus infections has plummeted across the globe, making it much tougher for scientists to track the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and spot new, worrisome viral variants as they emerge and spread. “We’re not testing anywhere near where we might need to,” said Dr. Krishna Udayakumar, who directs the Global Health Innovation Center at Duke University. At a …

Pandemic Gets Tougher to Track as Covid-19 Testing Plunges
2 years, 7 months ago

Pandemic Gets Tougher to Track as Covid-19 Testing Plunges

News 18  

Testing for Covid-19 has plummeted across the globe, making it much tougher for scientists to track the course of the pandemic and spot new, worrisome viral mutants as they emerge and spread. Were not testing anywhere near where we might need to, said Dr. Krishna Udayakumar, who directs the Duke Global Health Innovation Center at Duke University. Mara Aspinall, managing …

New Biden pandemic plan: Closer to normal for the nation
2 years, 10 months ago

New Biden pandemic plan: Closer to normal for the nation

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — It’s time for America to stop letting the coronavirus “dictate how we live,” President Joe Biden’s White House declared Wednesday, outlining a strategy to allow people to return to many normal activities safely after two years of pandemic disruptions. A White House official said the “test-to-treat” plan would initially roll out in hundreds of pharmacies across the country, …

White House launches ‘test to treat’ COVID-19 initiative, plan toward greater normality
2 years, 10 months ago

White House launches ‘test to treat’ COVID-19 initiative, plan toward greater normality

LA Times  

Beginning this month, Americans will be able to head to their local pharmacy for a coronavirus test and, if they test positive, receive antiviral pills on the spot, at no cost to them. President Biden announced the launch of the “test to treat” initiative during Tuesday night’s State of the Union Address as he emphasized the country’s progress in battling …

S. Korea tests new virus steps as infections reach new high
2 years, 11 months ago

S. Korea tests new virus steps as infections reach new high

Associated Press  

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea on Wednesday began enforcing new COVID-19 response measures, including reduced quarantine periods and expanded rapid testing, as its new cases jumped nearly 50% in a day. South Korean officials say their early analysis suggests omicron spreads more than twice as fast as the delta variant, which spiked the country’s hospitalizations and fatalities during a …

US begins offering 1B free COVID tests, but many more needed
2 years, 11 months ago

US begins offering 1B free COVID tests, but many more needed

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — For the first time, people across the U.S. can log on to a government website and order free, at-home COVID-19 tests. “The playbook for rapid tests should look exactly like the playbook for vaccines,” said Zoe McLaren, a health economist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. While private companies are now producing more than 250 million at-home …

Covidtests.gov is off to a strong start but big hurdle awaits
2 years, 11 months ago

Covidtests.gov is off to a strong start but big hurdle awaits

CNN  

Editor’s Note: David M. Perry is a journalist and historian and co-author of “The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe.” He is a senior academic adviser in the history department of the University of Minnesota. CNN — The Tuesday news that the Biden administration’s free rapid Covid-19 test site had gone online a day early, part of a …

Why are rapid tests for COVID-19 in such short supply?
3 years ago

Why are rapid tests for COVID-19 in such short supply?

LA Times  

Boxes of BinaxNow home COVID-19 tests made by Abbott are shown for sale in November at a CVS store in Lakewood, Wash. Is that tickle in your nose COVID-19, or just a cold? Abbott Laboratories, which makes the BinaxNOW rapid antigen test, expects to produce 70 million tests this month and is working to raise that to 100 million, said …

Biden says US to provide 500 million home tests as Omicron surges
3 years ago

Biden says US to provide 500 million home tests as Omicron surges

Al Jazeera  

US president renews his call for Americans to get vaccinated and receive COVID booster shots amid Omicron variant’s spread. With COVID-19 cases on the rise across the United States, President Joe Biden has announced a series of steps to mitigate the spread of the virus, including broader access to at-home testing, new vaccination sites and more federal support for “COVID-burdened” …

Opinion: My family’s Omicron question: What do we do now?
3 years, 1 month ago

Opinion: My family’s Omicron question: What do we do now?

CNN  

Editor’s Note: David M. Perry is a journalist and historian and co-author of “The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe.” He is a senior academic adviser in the history department of the University of Minnesota. Once upon a time, I hoped that preventive measures would push Covid-19 from pandemic to endemic by the end of this year, but …

New hurdle for COVID-19 home testing -- the holiday season
3 years, 1 month ago

New hurdle for COVID-19 home testing -- the holiday season

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Millions more home tests for COVID-19 are hitting store shelves, but will there be enough for Americans hoping to screen themselves before holiday gatherings? White House officials say the U.S. is on pace to have about 200 million home tests per month by December, quadrupling the number from this summer. Market leader Abbott says it is back to …

US falls behind on at-home Covid tests
3 years, 2 months ago

US falls behind on at-home Covid tests

CNN  

This is the weekly edition of CNN’s coronavirus newsletter. The National Institutes of Health’s $70 million pledge, announced last week, promises to get more tests onto the market by identifying and encouraging new manufacturers and easing the obstacles in getting the tests approved. A vast, international review of studies published in March found that few antigen tests met the World …

US commits $1 billion access to rapid, at-home Covid tests
3 years, 3 months ago

US commits $1 billion access to rapid, at-home Covid tests

India TV News  

The White House has announced an investment worth $1 billion worth for rapid, at-home coronavirus tests to address ongoing shortages. The move will quadruple the number of tests available to Americans by December, Jeff Zients, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, was quoted as saying at a press briefing on Wednesday. "That means, we'll have an available supply of 200 …

The White House will spend an additional $1 billion on rapid at-home COVID tests
3 years, 3 months ago

The White House will spend an additional $1 billion on rapid at-home COVID tests

NPR  

The White House will spend an additional $1 billion on rapid at-home COVID tests Enlarge this image toggle caption Ted S. Warren/AP Ted S. Warren/AP The White House is allocating an additional $1 billion to purchase millions of rapid at-home tests for COVID-19, in response to an ongoing national shortage of these tests. Zients said that Wednesday's action now puts …

As Delta variant surges, so does demand for at-home covid-19 tests
3 years, 4 months ago

As Delta variant surges, so does demand for at-home covid-19 tests

Live Mint  

Demand for at-home Covid-19 tests has risen sharply in recent weeks as the Delta variant surges across the U.S., causing test makers to scramble to keep pace. Much of the Covid-19 diagnostic testing in the U.S. has involved not antigen tests but molecular tests, which detect the virus’s genetic material and typically are processed by laboratories—a more time-consuming process. Demand …

Calls grow for US to rely on rapid tests to fight pandemic
3 years, 11 months ago

Calls grow for US to rely on rapid tests to fight pandemic

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — When a Halloween party sparked a COVID-19 outbreak at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, school officials conducted rapid screening on more than 1,000 students in a week, including many who didn’t have symptoms. With President Joe Biden vowing to get elementary and middle school students back to the classroom by spring and the country’s testing system …

Over-the-counter COVID-19 test will soon be available in U.S.
4 years ago

Over-the-counter COVID-19 test will soon be available in U.S.

LA Times  

The first home test for COVID-19 that doesn’t require a prescription will soon be on U.S. store shelves. Regulators granted emergency use for a similar home test last month, but that one needs a doctor’s prescription. The agency’s action Tuesday allows for sales in places like drugstores, “where a patient can buy it, swab their nose, run the test and …

Will the US ever have a national Covid-19 testing strategy?
4 years, 1 month ago

Will the US ever have a national Covid-19 testing strategy?

Hindustan Times  

As the coronavirus epidemic worsens, US health experts hope Joe Biden’s administration will put in place something Donald Trump’s has not — a comprehensive national testing strategy. “If we’d had a more robust approach and testing was scaled up as one of the tools, I think much of this third surge would would have been avoidable,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, …

Will the US ever have a national COVID-19 testing strategy?
4 years, 1 month ago

Will the US ever have a national COVID-19 testing strategy?

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — As the coronavirus epidemic worsens, U.S. health experts hope Joe Biden’s administration will put in place something Donald Trump’s has not — a comprehensive national testing strategy. “If we’d had a more robust approach and testing was scaled up as one of the tools, I think much of this third surge would have been avoidable,” said Dr. …

The Free-Market Approach to This Pandemic Isn't Working
4 years, 1 month ago

The Free-Market Approach to This Pandemic Isn't Working

Wired  

America’s health care system has always been bizarre. The US health care system may be a free market, but it’s not a fair one. The US can run millions of Covid-19 PCR tests every day, but it’s just not enough given the ongoing outbreak. This is America’s free market health care system at work: If you can pay more or …

Nursing homes still see dangerously long waits for Covid-19 test results
4 years, 1 month ago

Nursing homes still see dangerously long waits for Covid-19 test results

CNN  

KHN — Nursing homes are still taking days to get back Covid-19 test results as many shun the Trump administration’s central strategy to limit the spread of the virus among old and sick Americans. The federal government “just hands stuff off to nursing homes and then says, ‘Hey, it’s yours; go use it,’” he said. “And then when things fall …

Millions More Virus Rapid Tests, But Are Results Reported?
4 years, 2 months ago

Millions More Virus Rapid Tests, But Are Results Reported?

News 18  

After struggling to ramp up coronavirus testing, the U.S. can now screen several million people daily, thanks to a growing supply of rapid tests. But state health officials say many rapid tests are going unreported, which means some new COVID-19 infections may not be counted. The federal government is shipping more than 100 million of the newest rapid tests to …

‘Twindemic’ testing chaos: The need for a national flu and Covid-19 plan is long overdue (opinion)
4 years, 3 months ago

‘Twindemic’ testing chaos: The need for a national flu and Covid-19 plan is long overdue (opinion)

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Thomas McGinn, MD, is senior vice president and deputy physician-in-chief at Northwell Health and Director at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. Variations in testing protocols, slow return of testing results, difficulty identifying asymptomatic carriers and differences in public commitment to infection control, have posed a major challenge for primary care clinicians. That said, as we enter the …

Rapid Covid tests: Trump announces plan to deploy 150 million Abbott Laboratories tests previously touted
4 years, 3 months ago

Rapid Covid tests: Trump announces plan to deploy 150 million Abbott Laboratories tests previously touted

CNN  

Washington CNN — President Donald Trump formally announced a plan on Monday to disperse the 150 million rapid coronavirus tests first promoted by the White House in August. Announcing the distribution plan Monday afternoon in the White House Rose Garden, Trump claimed the testing effort would “allow every state on a very regular basis test every teacher who needs it.” …

US experts vow ‘no cutting corners’ as vaccine tests expand
4 years, 3 months ago

US experts vow ‘no cutting corners’ as vaccine tests expand

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A huge international study of a COVID-19 vaccine that aims to work with just one dose is getting underway as top U.S. health officials sought Wednesday to assure a skeptical Congress and public that they can trust any shots the government ultimately approves. On Wednesday he tweeted a link to news about the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine …

Most US states reject Trump administration's new Covid-19 testing guidance
4 years, 4 months ago

Most US states reject Trump administration's new Covid-19 testing guidance

India Today  

A majority of US states have rejected new Trump administration Covid-19 testing guidance in an extraordinary rebuke of the nation's top agency for disease prevention, according to officials at state health agencies and public statements reviewed by Reuters. The CDC said on Monday that people exposed to Covid-19 but not symptomatic "do not necessarily need a test unless you are …

Hype and science collide as FDA tries to rein in ‘wild West’ of COVID-19 blood tests
4 years, 7 months ago

Hype and science collide as FDA tries to rein in ‘wild West’ of COVID-19 blood tests

LA Times  

“Save your business while saving lives,” reads the website of Because Health, a Seattle tech start-up selling two types of tests to employers willing to pay $350 a pop to learn whether their workers have been infected with COVID-19. The company’s “Workplace Health” plan includes not only nasal swab tests to detect infection, but also blood tests aimed at determining …

U.S. approves new coronavirus antigen test with fast results
4 years, 7 months ago

U.S. approves new coronavirus antigen test with fast results

The Hindu  

U.S. regulators have approved a new type of coronavirus test that administration officials have promoted as a key to opening up the country. The Food and Drug Administration on Saturday announced emergency authorization for antigen tests developed by Quidel Corporation of San Diego. Antigen tests can diagnose active infections by detecting the earliest toxic traces of the virus rather than …

Coronavirus: ‘Fast and accurate’ antibody test developed by Edinburgh researchers
4 years, 8 months ago

Coronavirus: ‘Fast and accurate’ antibody test developed by Edinburgh researchers

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A blood-screening company claims it has developed a “fast and accurate” …

Trump says virus testing ‘not a problem,’ but doubts persist
4 years, 8 months ago

Trump says virus testing ‘not a problem,’ but doubts persist

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The White House released new guidelines Monday aimed at answering criticism that America’s coronavirus testing has been too slow, and President Donald Trump tried to pivot toward a focus on “reopening” the nation. Still, there were doubts from public health experts that the White House’s new testing targets were sufficient. Monday’s developments were meant to fill critical gaps …

Bill Gates lists out scientific advances needed to stop COVID-19 in online memo, says 'testing critical to control coronavirus'
4 years, 8 months ago

Bill Gates lists out scientific advances needed to stop COVID-19 in online memo, says 'testing critical to control coronavirus'

Firstpost  

The coronavirus pandemic pits all of humanity against the virus. Even though their populations are disproportionately young—which would tend to mean fewer deaths from COVID-19—this advantage is almost certainly offset by the fact that many low-income people’s immune systems are weakened by conditions like malnutrition or HIV. It is a complicated subject because even if young people don’t get sick …

Nursing homes still struggle to get protective gear and quick testing
4 years, 8 months ago

Nursing homes still struggle to get protective gear and quick testing

CNN  

CNN — Even inside nursing homes – deemed a ground zero for the spread of coronavirus – health care workers still don’t have enough personal protective gear and the facilities can’t get testing done quickly enough to effectively fight the virus. “Nursing homes have been ground zero for Covid-19,” CMS administrator Seema Verma said, calling the new reporting requirement “critical” …

How coronavirus testing fumbles squandered valuable time
4 years, 8 months ago

How coronavirus testing fumbles squandered valuable time

CNN  

CNN — As coronavirus test kits were malfunctioning in public health labs across the country, Dr. Robert Redfield repeatedly assured his fellow task force officials in February that the problem would be quickly solved. Any insinuation that he didn’t is “just plain wrong and disproven by the facts.” A CDC spokesman said Redfield did not offer any assurances about how …

States finally have high-speed machines to detect Covid-19 – but few tests to run on them
4 years, 8 months ago

States finally have high-speed machines to detect Covid-19 – but few tests to run on them

CNN  

CNN — As he unboxed a toaster-size device made by Abbott Laboratories at a Rose Garden press conference last month, President Donald Trump proclaimed that the company’s rapid coronavirus test – which takes minutes instead of days to return results – would be “a whole new ballgame” in expanding testing for the disease. “They tell us vague platitudes about getting …

Covid-19 death count in the United States is likely an underestimate. Here’s why.
4 years, 9 months ago

Covid-19 death count in the United States is likely an underestimate. Here’s why.

CNN  

CNN — Health experts are warning the national count of Covid-19 deaths in the United States could be underestimated as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread. Also, deaths due to Covid-19 “may be misclassified as pneumonia deaths in the absence of positive test results, and pneumonia may appear on death certificates as a comorbid condition,” the CDC noted, adding that …

March 27, 2020 coronavirus news
4 years, 9 months ago

March 27, 2020 coronavirus news

CNN  

Federal health officials on Friday green-lit a point-of-care coronavirus test that can provide results in less than 15 minutes, using the same technology that powers some rapid flu tests. Teased by Vice President Mike Pence in a Thursday press briefing, the new diagnostic could accelerate testing in the United States, allowing for rapid results in doctors’ offices. All FDA-authorized tests, …

March 27, 2020 coronavirus news
4 years, 9 months ago

March 27, 2020 coronavirus news

CNN  

Federal health officials on Friday green-lit a point-of-care coronavirus test that can provide results in less than 15 minutes, using the same technology that powers some rapid flu tests. Teased by Vice President Mike Pence in a Thursday press briefing, the new diagnostic could accelerate testing in the United States, allowing for rapid results in doctors’ offices. All FDA-authorized tests, …

Singapore scientists track genetic changes to speed up testing for coronavirus vaccines
4 years, 9 months ago

Singapore scientists track genetic changes to speed up testing for coronavirus vaccines

Firstpost  

Currently, there are no medicines or preventive vaccines targeting the virus, with most patients receiving only supportive care. Scientists in Singapore say they have developed a way to track genetic changes that speeds testing of vaccines against a coronavirus that has killed more than 16,000 people worldwide. The scientists, at the city-state’s Duke-NUS Medical School, say their technique needs just …

Testing blunders crippled US response as coronavirus...
4 years, 9 months ago

Testing blunders crippled US response as coronavirus...

Daily Mail  

A series of missteps at the nation's top public health agency caused a critical shortage of tests for coronavirus, hobbling the federal response as the pandemic spread across the country like wildfire, an Associated Press review found. In February, as the virus began taking root in the US population, CDC data shows government labs processed 352 COVID-19 tests - an …

Coronavirus testing: US approves rapid test that can detect in 45 minutes
4 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus testing: US approves rapid test that can detect in 45 minutes

Live Mint  

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first rapid coronavirus diagnostic test, with a detection time of about 45 minutes, as the United States struggles to meet the demand for coronavirus testing. The test's developer, California-based molecular diagnostics company Cepheid, said on Saturday it had received an emergency use authorization from the FDA for the test, which will …

Where are the tests? (opinion)
4 years, 9 months ago

Where are the tests? (opinion)

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Dwayne Briening, MD, is the Executive Director of Northwell Health Labs. There are only a relative few public health facilities – less than 100 at the moment, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – around the country that have been approved to perform the tests, including Northwell Health Labs, one of the nation’s largest hospital …

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