Abbott Labs receives FDA approval for rapid COVID-19 test

WASHINGTON - US medical devices company Abbott Laboratories said late Friday it has received emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the fastest available point-of-care test for COVID-19.

The test could deliver positive results in as little as five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes, the company said in a statement, adding that it expects to deliver 50,000 tests per day, beginning next week.

The new test runs on Abbott's ID NOW platform -- a lightweight box of just 6.6 pounds (about 3 kg) and the size of a small toaster, which can be set up in a variety of locations.

In order to push quicker results to stem the tide of the COVID-19 outbreak, the FDA approved the first rapid diagnostic test last week, with a detection time of about 45 minutes.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States has topped 104,686 as of Friday night, including 1,707 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.