Coronavirus Watch: Want to test yourself for COVID-19 at home?
The Food and Drug Administration has opened the door to COVID-19 testing that could be fast, cheap, and handled entirely at home – if companies can actually pull it off.
"These types of tests will be a game-changer in our fight against COVID-19 and will be crucial as the nation looks toward reopening," FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said.
So far, the FDA hasn't allowed anyone to sell tests for at-home use, and some worry the standards are too high for companies to achieve.
It's Thursday, and this is the Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here is the most significant news of the day, as of 1 p.m. ET:
- Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain died Thursday after being hospitalized in Atlanta for coronavirus treatment a month ago.
- New evidence suggests the coronavirus has lasting effects on the heart, raising alarm to cardiologists who have been concerned about potential long-term heart injury.
- Attorney General Bill Barr tested negative for COVID-19 after a brief interaction with Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert who has the virus. Speaker Nancy Pelosi is now requiring face masks on the House floor.
- All of Florida's state-supported COVID-19 testing sites will temporarily close as the entire state remains in the possible path of a storm predicted to become Tropical Storm Isaias overnight. Meanwhile, Florida's largest school district said it will begin the school year online-only Aug. 31, a week after it was originally scheduled to start.
- The U.S. economy turned in its worst performance ever in the second quarter. And a total of 1.4 million people filed jobless claims for the first time last week, meaning that in less than five months, a stunning 54.1 million have sought unemployment aid for the first time.
Today's numbers: There are more than 4.4 million confirmed cases in the U.S. and more than 150,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Worldwide, cases have surpassed 17 million with more than 667,000 deaths. See the numbers in your area here, and check out where cases are rising here.
A Paste BN analysis of Johns Hopkins data through late Wednesday shows eight states had a record number of deaths: Arkansas, California, Florida, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas.
Do you have questions about the coronavirus? You can submit them through this form. Marisa from Indialantic, Florida, asks: If you've already had and recovered from COVID-19, should you get the vaccine once it's available?
Yes, you will still likely need to get the vaccine because researchers still don't know exactly how long the antibodies offer protection. By the time a vaccine becomes available, scientists may have more information on how long immunity lasts and how it interacts with the various vaccines now under development.
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– Grace Hauck, Paste BN breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck