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 labs, where I work, on Long Island in New York. Northwell is also working with New York State, mobilizing the health system’s mobile phlebotomy team to perform nasal swabs in New Rochelle, which has been the epicenter of Covid-19 infection in New York. In response to the testing shortage, President Donald Trump announced last Friday that the FDA is creating a 24-hour emergency hotline for laboratories finding impediments to running tests, and officials are giving nearly $1.3 million of federal money to two companies trying to develop rapid-diagnosis Covid-19 tests. My fellow colleagues across the nation’s health systems are doing everything and anything they can to speed accurate testing to the general public as soon as feasibly possible under our current circumstances.

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History of this topic

Free COVID tests are back. Here's how to order a test to your home
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Free COVID tests are back. Here's how to order a test to your home

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Americans can once again order …

The US is mailing Americans COVID tests again. Here’s how to get them
3 months, 2 weeks ago

The US is mailing Americans COVID tests again. Here’s how to get them

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Americans can once again order COVID-19 tests, without being charged, sent straight to their homes. The website has been reopened on the heels of a summer COVID-19 virus wave and heading into the fall and winter respiratory virus season, with health officials urging Americans to get an updated COVID-19 vaccine and their yearly flu shot. U.S. regulators approved …

Free COVID tests are back. Here’s how to get yours
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Free COVID tests are back. Here’s how to get yours

LA Times  

The federal government will again send out free COVID testing kits to anyone who requests them. Coronavirus infections have come roaring back this year, prompting the Biden administration to renew one of its earliest responses to the COVID-19 pandemic: Free at-home test kits delivered via the mail. If you don’t want to wait for the tests to come by mail, …

FDA brings lab tests under federal oversight in bid to improve accuracy and safety
8 months, 1 week ago

FDA brings lab tests under federal oversight in bid to improve accuracy and safety

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Makers of medical tests that have long escaped government oversight will have about four years to show that their new offerings deliver accurate results, under a government rule vigorously opposed by the testing industry. “The agency cannot stand by while Americans continue to rely on results from these tests without assurance that they work,” FDA Commissioner Robert Califf …

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 …

Covid-19: US households will be able to order more free tests starting Monday
1 year, 3 months ago

Covid-19: US households will be able to order more free tests starting Monday

CNN  

CNN — The US government will relaunch a program to provide free Covid-19 home tests to Americans, US Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday. Becerra said HHS’s Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response “has been resupplying our stockpile.” The tests coming available soon are intended for use through the end of 2023 and will include instructions on how …

U.S. announces $600 million to produce COVID tests and will reopen website for orders
1 year, 3 months ago

U.S. announces $600 million to produce COVID tests and will reopen website for orders

LA Times  

The Biden administration is providing $600 million to produce new at-home COVID-19 tests and is resurrecting a website allowing Americans to again order up to four free tests per household. The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is providing $600 million in funding to produce new at-home COVID-19 tests and is restarting a website allowing Americans to again order up …

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,” …

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 …

60 million households have requested free Covid-19 rapid tests, White House says
2 years, 11 months ago

60 million households have requested free Covid-19 rapid tests, White House says

CNN  

CNN — The White House said on Friday some 60 million households have requested free Covid-19 rapid tests so far, with tens of millions tests having “gone out the door” as part of the Biden administration’s program to mail more than half a billion rapid tests to Americans around the country. White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told …

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 …

EXPLAINER: Where are the COVID-19 tests that Biden promised?
3 years ago

EXPLAINER: Where are the COVID-19 tests that Biden promised?

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced last month that the federal government will buy half a billion COVID-19 rapid test kits and distribute them free to people to use at home. The federal government is expected to get delivery of the first batch of tests “over the next week or so,” according to White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients. “We’re …

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 administration signs first contract for free rapid Covid-19 test distribution
3 years ago

Biden administration signs first contract for free rapid Covid-19 test distribution

CNN  

CNN — The Biden administration has signed its first contracts with a Covid-19 test manufacturer as part of President Joe Biden’s efforts to distribute half a billion free rapid tests throughout the country, a White House official confirms to CNN. The Department of Defense awarded a $51 million contract to Goldbelt Security, LLC, “for delivery of over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits.” …

Finding a Covid-19 test is a struggle right now in the US as Omicron and holiday plans collide
3 years ago

Finding a Covid-19 test is a struggle right now in the US as Omicron and holiday plans collide

CNN  

CNN — With coronavirus cases surging once again, frustrated Americans are struggling to get tested days before Christmas as long lines and increased demand overwhelm some facilities across the country. People who have been previously infected with Covid-19 and remain unvaccinated “should not assume that have protection against Omicron,” US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said Tuesday. As to whether …

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 …

HHS withdraws Trump administration policy that limited FDA review of certain Covid-19 tests
3 years, 1 month ago

HHS withdraws Trump administration policy that limited FDA review of certain Covid-19 tests

CNN  

CNN — The Biden administration is withdrawing a policy established under the Trump administration that limited the US Food and Drug Administration’s review process of certain lab tests, including some Covid-19 tests. Dr. Jeff Shuren, director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in a separate statement on Monday that Covid-19 testing remains a “cornerstone” of the …

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 …

Genes2me: Transforming genetics for billions
3 years, 4 months ago

Genes2me: Transforming genetics for billions

Hindustan Times  

Genes2me is one of the leading clinical genomics & diagnostic entity working with a vision to bring about a meaningful change in molecular, ‘at home’ genetics and personalized medicine space. Genes2me envisions developing Unique, sensitive, innovative new-age testing technologies across the fields of genomics, oncology and IVD Kits “Our current focus is on the domains of mother and child; oncology, …

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 …

What are at-home COVID-19 tests and why are they in such high demand overseas?
3 years, 11 months ago

What are at-home COVID-19 tests and why are they in such high demand overseas?

ABC  

Brisbane-based bio-tech firm Ellume has just landed a $302 million contract with the United States to ramp up production of at-home COVID-19 tests. The kit comes with instructions for people to swab themselves and it is far less invasive than the so-called "brain tickler" — deep nasal swabs carried out at established COVID-19 testing clinics. Unlike the US, Australia has …

U.S. Cuts $231 Million Deal To Provide 15-Minute COVID-19 At-Home Tests
3 years, 11 months ago

U.S. Cuts $231 Million Deal To Provide 15-Minute COVID-19 At-Home Tests

NPR  

U.S. Cuts $231 Million Deal To Provide 15-Minute COVID-19 At-Home Tests YouTube Enlarge this image toggle caption Ellume Limited Ellume Limited Updated 5:30 p.m. ET The Biden administration has made a $231.8 million deal with an Australian company to boost availability of the first at-home rapid test for the coronavirus which causes COVID-19 that is available without a prescription. Suzanne …

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. …

FDA allows use of over-the-counter home test for COVID-19
4 years ago

FDA allows use of over-the-counter home test for COVID-19

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The first home test for …

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. …

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 …

Problem at Roche warehouse raises fears over UK COVID tests
4 years, 3 months ago

Problem at Roche warehouse raises fears over UK COVID tests

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Swiss pharmaceutical firm Roche said …

Nigerian scientists develop cheaper and faster Covid-19 test kits
4 years, 3 months ago

Nigerian scientists develop cheaper and faster Covid-19 test kits

CNN  

CNN — Scientists in Nigeria have developed a cheaper and faster Covid-19 test kit that will enable testing to be ramped up in a place that has faced kit shortages and chronic under-testing of a massive population, according to the country’s health authorities. Although Salako added that the detection rate of the NIMR test kit is “a bit lower than …

WHO plans to distribute 120 mn rapid COVID-19 test kits to poorer nations at $5 each
4 years, 3 months ago

WHO plans to distribute 120 mn rapid COVID-19 test kits to poorer nations at $5 each

Firstpost  

The quick tests, to be distributed in 133 countries over the next six months, are not the most reliable but are fast, cheap and easy to carry out. Some 120 million rapid tests for Covid-19 will be made available to poorer countries at $5 each, the World Health Organization announced Monday – if it can find the money. The quick …

Donald Trump announces rollout of 150 mn rapid COVID-19 tests; US accounts for over 20% of 1 mn global deaths
4 years, 3 months ago

Donald Trump announces rollout of 150 mn rapid COVID-19 tests; US accounts for over 20% of 1 mn global deaths

Firstpost  

One hundred million rapid point-of-care tests will be given to states and territories to support efforts to reopen their economies and schools immediately, said Trump Washington: US President Donald Trump has announced plans to distribute a whopping 150 million 15-minute rapid COVID-19 tests in the coming weeks, a decision he said is aimed at supporting efforts to reopen economies and …

WHO says 120 million rapid COVID-19 tests to be provided to poorer countries
4 years, 3 months ago

WHO says 120 million rapid COVID-19 tests to be provided to poorer countries

The Hindu  

Some 120 million rapid diagnostic tests for coronavirus will be made available to low- and middle-income countries at a maximum of $5 each, the World Health Organization said on Monday. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the manufacturers Abbott and SD Biosensor had agreed with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to “make 120 million of these new, highly …

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.” …

Coronavirus: Hospitals told not to test staff or patients for Covid-19
4 years, 3 months ago

Coronavirus: Hospitals told not to test staff or patients for Covid-19

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 NHS hospitals have been banned from launching their own coronavirus testing …

Coronavirus test? The appointment book is full at most drive in centres
4 years, 3 months ago

Coronavirus test? The appointment book is full at most drive in centres

Dutch News  

In total, 86 of the 100 coronavirus test centres in the Netherlands have no space for new appointments, as an increasing number of people queue up to get tested, the central public health board said on Thursday afternoon. Just four locations have sufficient availability in the coming 48 hours and a further 10 are virtually fully booked, the GGD is …

Britain To Invest in Expansion Of Rapid Covid-19 Test Trials Amid Criticism Over Testing Backlog
4 years, 4 months ago

Britain To Invest in Expansion Of Rapid Covid-19 Test Trials Amid Criticism Over Testing Backlog

News 18  

LONDON: Britain on Thursday said it was investing to develop rapid COVID-19 tests, with a view to soon rolling out widespread, systematic testing to pick up outbreaks early, amid criticism over backlogs in its current testing system. The health ministry said it would put 500 million pounds into trials of rapid COVID-19 tests and into population-testing for the disease. Health …

Are these fast, cheap coronavirus tests the game-changer everyone is waiting for?
4 years, 4 months ago

Are these fast, cheap coronavirus tests the game-changer everyone is waiting for?

CNN  

CNN — Move over, slowpoke coronavirus tests that take a week or more to return a result – there’s a new generation of rapid tests coming to town – some are already here – and they’re poised to transform the landscape. Compared to the most commonly used type of coronavirus test in the country – molecular diagnostic tests, also called …

Trump administration says FDA will no longer require premarket review of certain lab tests, including some Covid-19 tests
4 years, 4 months ago

Trump administration says FDA will no longer require premarket review of certain lab tests, including some Covid-19 tests

CNN  

CNN — The Trump administration has determined that the US Food and Drug Administration will no longer review certain laboratory tests, including those used to detect Covid-19, according to an announcement from the US Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday. The announcement – which one expert said was part of a “bureaucratic fight” between HHS and FDA – …

ICMR looks at private medical colleges to ramp up Covid-19 testing infra
4 years, 4 months ago

ICMR looks at private medical colleges to ramp up Covid-19 testing infra

Hindustan Times  

The Indian Council of Medical Research is ramping up molecular testing for the coronavirus disease by approving medical colleges, including private ones, with labs that have the capacity to do Reverse-Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction testing, the most accurate way to diagnose the viral disease. Among the 47 labs that are currently under various stages of receiving ICMR approvals to conduct Covid-19 …

Govt to Review Guidelines to See if 'On-demand' Testing of Covid-19 Can be Allowed
4 years, 4 months ago

Govt to Review Guidelines to See if 'On-demand' Testing of Covid-19 Can be Allowed

News 18  

With nearly nine lakh COVID-19 tests being held per day, the government on Tuesday said it would review the guidelines for testing to see if it can be made available on an on-demand basis for the people. Responding to a question on why on-demand testing is not being implemented for those who are willing to pay for it even as …

Virus testing in the US is dropping, even as deaths mount
4 years, 5 months ago

Virus testing in the US is dropping, even as deaths mount

Associated Press  

U.S. testing for the coronavirus is dropping even as infections remain high and the death toll rises by more than 1,000 a day, a worrisome trend that officials attribute largely to Americans getting discouraged over having to wait hours to get a test and days or weeks to learn the results. Testing delays have led researchers at Harvard and elsewhere …

The US Has More Covid-19 Testing Than Most. So Why is it Falling so Short?
4 years, 5 months ago

The US Has More Covid-19 Testing Than Most. So Why is it Falling so Short?

News 18  

The United States might have more COVID-19 testing capacity than any other country. Gary Procop, who helps lead the Cleveland Clinic's labs, said the government could have used the Defense Production Act to scale up multi-step tests, using existing instructions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For states seeking to boost testing capacity, the most sought-after machine has …

US labs buckle amid testing surge; world virus cases top 15M
4 years, 5 months ago

US labs buckle amid testing surge; world virus cases top 15M

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Laboratories across the U.S. are buckling under a surge of coronavirus tests, creating long processing delays that experts say are undercutting the pandemic response. “The question is how many tests are being done with results coming back within a day, where the individual tested is promptly isolated and their contacts are promptly warned.” Frieden and other public health …

MyLab launches ‘Compact XL’ RT-PCR system for covid-19 tests
4 years, 6 months ago

MyLab launches ‘Compact XL’ RT-PCR system for covid-19 tests

Live Mint  

New Delhi: Pune-based molecular diagnostics firm Mylab Discovery Solutions on Wednesday launched the ‘Compact XL’ system for conducting a wide range of tests, including RT-PCR tests for covid-19. “Compact XL will replace the need of 700 sq ft of clean room lab with a 4x3 benchtop machine and reduce the need of 3-4 expert technicians to just one, thus saving …

Coronavirus | Ramp up COVID-19 testing, Health Ministry tells States, UTs
4 years, 6 months ago

Coronavirus | Ramp up COVID-19 testing, Health Ministry tells States, UTs

The Hindu  

The total number of people being tested for COVID-19 in the country would soon touch one crore, the Health Ministry said on Thursday. “This shall effectively take COVID-19 tests to the people’s doorsteps in high incidence areas to collect samples of all symptomatic individuals as well as their contacts, and get those samples tested by using rapid antigen tests,” the …

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 …

Coronavirus: Rollout of antibody tests met with confusion, little oversight
4 years, 8 months ago

Coronavirus: Rollout of antibody tests met with confusion, little oversight

CNN  

CNN — Public health experts, including members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, have argued accurate Covid-19 antibody tests can support efforts to get Americans back to work by determining who may have overcome the virus. States concerned by accuracy of antibody tests Antibody test data “are of dubious reliability; we are not tracking or analyzing them,” a spokesperson …

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