The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a coronavirus test that can produce results in 45 minutes.
Late Friday, the FDA granted an emergency authorization to Cepheid, a U.S. company that makes the rapid coronavirus tests.
Results from current tests take days because they must be sent to labs, unlike the tests developed by California-based Cepheid.
The tests initially will be used mainly by hospitals and emergency departments, and subsequently they will be made available in “patient care settings,” such as doctor’s offices.
The company plans to begin selling the tests at the end of March.