Coronavirus Watch: Rapid at-home COVID tests coming soon to the US
The U.S. announced a $230 million deal with a coronavirus test-maker to provide Americans with millions of at-home tests that deliver results to a user's smartphone in as little as 15 minutes.
The test kits allow users to give themselves a nasal swab and see results in a matter of minutes using a Bluetooth tool that connects to a smartphone app. Those results can then be reported to area health officials, Australia-based company Ellume said.
Andy Slavitt, the White House senior adviser for COVID-19 response, told reporters the tests can detect results with 90% accuracy and will eventually be rolled out in the U.S. at a rate of about 8.5 million tests per month, though no specific timetable was given. The tests were authorized by the Food and Drug Administration in December. Read more about the Biden administration's big push on at-home testing.
It's Monday and this the Coronavirus Watch newsletter from the Paste BN Network. Here's more news to know today, as of 2 p.m. EST.
- Snowed out: Vaccine rollout, already off to a slow start in the U.S., hit another hiccup on Monday in the Northeast, where multiple states closed down vaccination sites due to a large snowstorm.
- If Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine candidate gets authorized by the FDA, Slavitt said he doesn't expect it to dramatically alter the pace of vaccine rollout. Data from a late-stage clinical trial showed the vaccine candidate had an overall efficacy of 66%, but appeared to have an even higher efficacy at preventing the most severe cases of COVID-19, said Dr. Anthony Fauci.
- Health equity leaders are calling for better data tracking racial disparities in healthcare after COVID-19 has disproportionately affected people of color.
- January was, by far, the most deadly month for COVID-19 in the U.S., as the virus claimed the lives of 95,364 people, an analysis of Johns Hopkins University data by Paste BN's Mike Stucka shows. The previous highs were 77,486 in December, which surpassed the 60,750 deaths reported in April.
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– Jay Cannon, Paste BN Network and Wires Editor, @JayTCannon on Twitter
