Abbott says it has a new coronavirus test that can detect if someone has COVID-19 in as little as five minutes, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants to make sure Illinois residents are among the first to get access to the new tests.
Abbott, a medical device maker based in North Chicago, announced on Friday that it received authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its coronavirus testing device that can detect a positive result in five minutes and a negative result in 13 minutes. Abbott said it's the fastest available molecular point-of-care test that can detect the coronavirus.
On Sunday, Pritzker tweeted that he's asked Abbott to make sure testing in Illinois is a top priority for the local medical device company.
I also called @AbbottNews to ask that Illinois be first in line for their just-announced 5-minute rapid test for COVID-19.
I’m proud to say they expressed their dedication to taking care of their home state & will be very helpful to us here in IL as their production ramps up.
— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) March 30, 2020
Abbott said its testing device, which weighs just 6.6 pounds and is roughly the size of a small toaster, is portable---allowing the testing to take place in areas outside of a traditional hospital or urgent care clinic. The company said it plans to deliver 50,000 tests per day starting this week.
"Through the incredible work of teams across Abbott, we expect to deliver 50,000 COVID-19 tests per day to healthcare professionals on the front lines, where testing capabilities are needed most," Chris Scoggins, Abbott's senior vice president of Rapid Diagnostics, said in a statement. "Portable molecular testing expands the country's capacity to get people answers faster."
The 5-minute tests follow Abbott's news last week that it's already shipping hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 tests running on its m2000 RealTime system, and it plans to produce around 5 million of those tests in April.
Coronavirus testing has been a problem for many cities across the U.S. In some cases, test results aren't available for hours or even days. Abbott is hoping its fast, portable testing device can get results faster to health providers and patients quicker in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.
