New Abbott Coronavirus test takes 13 minutes; 50k tests/day capacity next week
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* It works on isothermal amplification [1] rather than temperature-cycling PCR, so it's much faster.
* It detects the viral RNA directly, so it should be detecting pretty much the same thing as existing PCR-based tests, just much faster.
* It's the same platform as a flu test. Obviously the Covid-19 version was done in a rush, so it might not be quite as good, but the sensitivity and specificity rates for influenza are amazing: sensitivity above 95% and specificity near 100%. If the numbers for Covid-19 are close, I can see why Gottlieb is calling it a game changer.
I really have to be impressed by our collective technical ingenuity, both the scientists figuring this stuff out in near real-time, equipment manufacturers such as Abbott who can do this, and of course the front-line health providers.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loop-mediated_isothermal_ampli...
The test/product: https://www.alere.com/en/home/product-details/id-now-covid-1...
> The ID NOW™ COVID-19 assay is now available for use on the ID NOW platform under U.S. Food and Drug Administration Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). The ID NOW™ COVID-19 rapid test delivers high-quality molecular positive results in as little as 5 minutes, targeting the coronavirus (COVID-19) RdRp Gene.