Fitbit’s COVID-19 ventilator gets emergency FDA approval

Fitbit is one step closer to putting its Flow ventilator into use during the pandemic. The FDA has given Fitbit an Emergency Use Authorization for the Flow to help with severe COVID-19 cases. It still doesn’t have customers lined up, but it’s “in tal...

Eight US companies will manufacture NASA’s COVID-19 ventilator

Last month, the FDA rushed a NASA-designed ventilator through its fast-track Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) program in hopes that it might be used to treat COVID-19 patients. Caltech, which manages NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), offered t...

An iPhone and an ultrasound wand could help doctors spot COVID-19 remotely

The images in front of me on this Zoom call don't make much sense: There's a pie slice of noisy gray, punctuated by long, dark shadows that slide around laterally. And at the top sits a series of immobile, tightly packed layers. It's all gibberish to...

FDA approves a rapid COVID-19 test that uses CRISPR

Sherlock Biosciences has received an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the FDA for a rapid COVID-19 test that uses CRISPR technology. This is the first FDA-authorized use of the gene-editing tool, which poses both massive potential and ethical i...

FDA clears Formlabs’ 3D-printed BiPAP-to-ventilator converter

In the race to provide the ventilators needed to treat COVID-19, several companies have developed new devices. But there may be a simpler approach. Formlabs has received an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the FDA to 3D-print small adapters tha...

NASA will license its FDA-approved ventilator to manufacturers for free

A new high-pressure ventilator developed by NASA engineers and designed to treat COVID-19 has received FDA approval via a fast-tracked emergency use authorization. Now, NASA is looking for a medical industry partner to manufacture the device. It will...

Abbott’s Coronavirus Test Offers Results in Five Minutes

Coronavirus Test

The FDA just approved the coronavirus test launched by Abbott. The test is expected to deliver results in just five minutes. Such a short period of testing makes it very feasible to be used at airports, hospitals, and even by law enforcement agencies.

The world is currently reeling under the effects of the coronavirus. Testing people is paramount to stopping the infection from exploding across borders. Scientists and doctors are not able to detect infections with the coronavirus quickly with the currently available tests. Most of the existing tests take a lot of time, and screening people who arrive at airports or at hospitals has become increasingly difficult. The sooner the authorities are able to test people, the better it is for the society in large. 

Abbott launches new and quick coronavirus test

The new test by Abbott is portable and uses molecular technology to deliver coronavirus results in just five minutes. The positive result takes five minutes while the negative result takes 13 minutes. 

Governments across the world are scrambling to purchase test kits to meet the demands of their own citizens. Currently, countries like Italy, Spain, and India are importing test kits from China. Both Italy and Spain have accused China of delivering subpar quality testing kits. Abbott's coronavirus test could be a game changer if the positive and negative results are quick and reliable. 

What is the solution?

Thousands of people are dying every day across the world due to the coronavirus. Testing people as and when they present themselves at public places is the only strategy that will work. Unfortunately, most governments are finding it difficult in the current situation. While there are tests available, the results take a lot of time and using such tests is just not feasible. 

Abbott's new test is the answer that we need to battle the coronavirus. In the coming months, governments can quickly test patients who might arrive with an elevated temperature at airports, railway stations and bus stations. Locking down entire cities and countries will only work when authorities test citizens actively for infections. This new test gives one hope that the pandemic will come to a halt slowly but surely.

The post Abbott’s Coronavirus Test Offers Results in Five Minutes appeared first on Walyou.

FDA clears algorithms that detect heart murmurs and AFib

The FDA just granted clearance to a suite of algorithms that could help healthcare providers in the US more accurately screen for heart conditions during routine physical exams. The algorithms, developed by Eko, can help detect both heart murmurs, in...