A Coronavirus Test That May Take Just Five Minutes
A five-minute coronavirus test could be coming to a doctor’s office near you, according to its manufacturer.
Abbott Laboratories says its rapid COVID-19 test (designed for doctor’s offices, urgent care centers and smaller hospitals without complex testing labs) can give positive results in as little as five minutes, and negative results in about 13 minutes. On March 27, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use to the Illinois-based company for its test, which runs on a device that’s about the size of a toaster.
Abbott’s test “can produce results in minutes and not days” and “doesn’t require a very complicated lab” to process test results, says TIME senior health reporter Alice Park. (Many other tests available right now require sending out for analyzation at certified labs, a process that can take days.) The speed of Abbott’s test is important because it enables health care providers to start advising their patients “on the spot,” providing both parties with “peace of mind” about how to proceed and contain the virus’ spread, Park says.
What’s more: many health care facilities already have the devices that the COVID-19 tests would run on and use them to test for the flu. Abbott has said it plans to distribute enough tests to allow for 50,000 tests per day by next week.
Broadly, COVID-19 testing capabilities in the U.S. are “improving,” largely thanks to an increasing number of public and private labs offering tests, but are “still not where (they) should be,” says Park. Testing requires a doctor’s prior approval, and priority is going to those most likely to test positive, like health care workers who have been exposed to the virus. “Because we’re still in crisis mode, we can’t test everyone,” Park says. “Down the road and if you have the luxury, you want to try to test as many people as possible” to get a true understanding of the disease’s spread and prevalence.
As of last night, total cases worldwide passed 780,000 across nearly 180 countries and territories. Italy joined the U.S. as the second country to record over 100,000 cases, and Spain passed China as third on the overall list, according to official numbers. However, a top Chinese health official implied today that the country hasn’t been counting asymptomatic cases in its official tally, but would do so starting tomorrow.
Here is every country with over 5,000 confirmed cases, as of Monday night, 8 PM eastern time:
Some Asian economies could plunge into recession as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Bank warned in a report published Monday night.
In a statement earlier today, Human Rights Watch called on the governments of countries—including India, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Ethiopia—to put an end to forced internet blackouts. The international NGO argued that in the current crisis, an internet blackout is a human-rights violation, as it prevents people from being able to access crucial health information.
The Situation in the U.S.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been in the national spotlight as the outspoken leader of the state facing the worst outbreak of coronavirus in the U.S. Today, his brother Chris, an anchor at CNN, announced he has tested positive for the illness.
Meanwhile, North Carolina Senator Richard Burr’s sale of stocks before the coronavirus led markets to plummet appears to have caught the FBI’s attention, a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press on Monday. And not everyone seems to be complying with the Trump administration’s national social-distancing guidelines. A megachurch pastor in Florida was arrested after law enforcement says he held two Sunday services that drew hundreds of peoples.
Finally, even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the stark divisions on gun and abortion rights remain apparent in the U.S.. On Monday, federal judges temporarily blocked efforts in Texas and Alabama to ban abortions during the outbreak. This past weekend, the Department of Homeland Security issued an advisory declaring that gun shops are considered “essential” businesses, like grocery stores and pharmacies, and should stay open even as many others have closed to contain the spread of COVID-19.
All numbers are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of March 29, 8 PM eastern time. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Those $1,200 Stimulus Checks the Government Promised? They May Take a While If You Don’t Have a Bank Account.
Those who most need financial assistance amid the coronavirus outbreak may wait the longest to get them. TIME reporters Abby Vesoulis and Alana Abramson spoke with a 21-year-old in Puerto Rico who quit his job and is one of 14.1 million Americans without a bank account; those without bank accounts are often among the poorest. Read more here.
Column: Why America Needs to Act Now to Protect Vulnerable Populations
Advice about hygiene and social distancing may not translate for the over 2.3 million people held in federal and state prisons, juvenile correctional facilities, and local jails and the approximately 50,000 adults and children in immigrant detention centers. Read more here.
What It’s Like to Lose a Job in the Middle of a Pandemic
TIME reporter Lissandra Villa spoke with people who were either laid off or working reduced hours because of the coronavirus outbreak, including an undocumented migrant from Honduras who can no longer do her job at an Iowa City fast-food restaurant. Read more here.
A Brooklyn Doctor Recovering from COVID-19 Feels Let Down by the Government
“The government thinks that we can go to work without proper [personal protective equipment] and put our lives at risk,” Dr. Laura Mulvey tells TIME reporter Tara Law. “That’s something you can’t really get over—this kind of callousness for human life.” Read more here.
Could At-Home Medical Tests Help Keep People Healthy Through the Outbreak?
These test kits have been a source of both hope and controversy in the U.S. On one hand, people who think they are sick could get a diagnosis from the comfort of home, without infecting others. But on the other, the FDA has cracked down on many unauthorized at-home tests, including some for COVID-19. Read more here.
India’s Hasty Coronavirus Lockdown Has Many Fearful for What Comes Next
TIME video journalist Abhishyant Kidangoor spoke with a rickshaw driver in Kerala who is struggling to make ends meet, as well as a cook/cleaner in New Delhi who was laid off. Read more here.
How a Funeral in a Georgia Became a “Super-Spreading Event”
After the funeral of a retired janitor in Albany, Ga., about two dozen of his relatives fell ill, the New York Times reports. Read more here.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com.
In yesterday’s edition, there was a typo in our headline: “Why Germany’s Case Count Is So High, But It’s Death Toll Is So Low.” It should have read: Why Germany’s Case Count Is So High, But Its Death Toll Is So Low.”
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