The FDA just approved a coronavirus test that can deliver results in 15 minutes

Coronavirus testing.
(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a novel coronavirus test for emergency use that can reportedly provide diagnostic results in less than 15 minutes, a major improvement from most tests, many of which take days.

The test is produced by Abbot Laboratories, which plans to begin delivering 50,000 per day starting April 1 to places they are most needed like emergency rooms, urgent-care clinics, and doctors' office. The testing equipment is small and portable, and can reportedly be used just about anywhere.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.