Hospitals could receive $75 billion in funding to combat coronavirus.
FDA authorized the first diagnostic test with a home collection option for COVID-19.
The agency re-issued its emergency use authorization (EUA) for LabCorp’s COVID-19 RT-PCR Test to permit testing of samples self-collected by patients at home using LabCorp’s Pixel by LabCorp COVID-19 Test home collection kit.
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“Throughout this pandemic, we have been facilitating test development to ensure patients access to accurate diagnostics, which includes supporting the development of reliable and accurate at-home sample collection options,” says FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, MD, in a press release. “With this action, there is now a convenient and reliable option for patient sample collection from the comfort and safety of their home.”
The agency worked with LabCorp to ensure the data demonstrated from at-home patient sample collection is as safe and accurate as sample collection at a doctor’s office, a hospital, or other testing sites, Hahn says.
LabCorp plans to make the test available to consumers in most states - with a doctor’s order - in the coming weeks.
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