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Safety Concerns Mount Over Abbott Laboratories' Rapid Coronavirus Test

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

As President Donald Trump continues to hype the capabilities of a rapid coronavirus test by Abbott Laboratories, medical workers are increasingly concerned about the safety of handling the test, citing the risk of infection to those administering it. The test, which returns results in as little as five minutes, involves swabbing a potentially infected person's nasal passage and swirling the specimen in an open container with liquid chemicals, raising the potential of releasing the highly contagious virus into the air.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Abbott test involves swabbing a potentially infected person's nasal passage, which can release the virus into the air, posing a risk to those administering the test.
  • Medical workers, including those at public health labs and drive-thru sites, are calling for additional protective gear, such as lab coats or gowns, to prevent infection.
  • The test's open design, which requires workers to "vigorously mix" the swab with liquid in an open vessel, has raised concerns about contamination.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends standard precautions for biosafety protection in labs, including the use of lab coats or gowns, gloves, and eye protection.
  • Lab officials and medical diagnostic experts say that the test's design necessitates the use of more protection, not less, for those handling it.

Statistics:

  • 30,000 Abbott tests were purchased by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for public labs and distribution across the country.
  • 13,500 of the tests went to public health labs, including the CDC's central lab in Atlanta.
  • 10,000 tests were received by the Indian Health Service.
  • 5,000 tests were set aside for the CDC's International Reagent Resource for states to replenish supplies.
  • 15 devices and supplies were received by multiple public health labs, allowing for the conduct of 120 tests.
  • Abbott has shipped over 850,000 rapid tests since April 1.

Sources:

  • The Daily Beast: "Could Abbott Laboratories' New COVID-19 Tests Be a Coronavirus Game-Changer?"
  • The Daily Beast: "Abbott Laboratories' Coronavirus Test Hyped by Trump Will Barely Touch the Need"
  • HHS: "HHS Supports State, Territorial, and Tribal Public Health Labs with COVID-19 Rapid Point-of-Care Test"
  • FDA: "Emergency Use Authorization: Abbott ID Now COVID-19 Detect Postive Result in 5 Minutes"
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Standard Precautions for Biosafety Protection in Labs"
  • Kaiser Health News: "HHS Officials Withhold Details on Its COVID-19 Testing Deal with CDC"
  • The Daily Beast: "Abbott's Fast Coronavirus Test Could Make Us Sick, Lab Workers Say"
  • Walgreens: "Walgreens Expanding Drive-Thru Testing to 15 New Locations in Seven States"
  • CVS Health: "CVS Health Announces Opening of Rapid COVID-19 Drive-Through Testing Sites"

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