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The United States Food and Drug Administration has cleared the first Covid-19 tests for repeated and frequent use by consumers at home to screen for infections even if they are not showing symptoms.
The FDA on Wednesday night gave the green light to three tests that are supposed to be used frequently or multiple times over a few days, called serial tests. Consumers will be able to purchase two over the counter without a prescription; the other, for use in places such as schools and doctors’ offices, requires a prescription. The FDA had previously cleared them for use in people with symptoms.
For nearly a year, some U.S. public health officials have called for rapid Covid-19 tests that can quickly and frequently screen for the virus to help control the spread of infection in people without symptoms. The FDA has already cleared a handful of tests that consumers can buy over the counter and use at home. But they are not referred to as serial tests and are not yet widely available.
Wednesday’s permissions, granted to companies with bulk manufacturing power, are in addition to tests that can be purchased over the counter in people without symptoms if used repeatedly, which could potentially allow rapid testing. home to become more widely accessible and affordable.
“It puts control directly in the hands of Americans,” said Mara Aspinall, co-founder of Arizona State University’s Biomedical Diagnostics Program. “It’s a step forward. The FDA has said it wants to encourage more home testing. It’s taking those words and making them very real. “
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