Photo: Xinhua / Shen Bohan via Getty Images
The Food and Drug Administration has issued its first authorization for a COVID-19 test that looks for antibodies in the blood, rather than for the virus in the nose or throat. While the antibody approach means this test will have limitations, it’s an important tool that could help in the response to the pandemic.
The test is produced by the biotechnology company Cellex. Health care providers have to draw blood from a patient’s vein to run the test, and it can only be done in certified labs — not a doctor’s office. It takes 15 to 20 minutes to get a result.
JUST IN: @US_FDA announces approval of #COVID19 antibody test in @CBSNewsRadio interview. pic.twitter.com/zvWINTn3lK
— Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) April 2, 2020
When someone...
