COVID-19 test

Health & Safety

Researchers Hope New CRISPR Technique Could Speed Up Coronavirus Testing

2:38pm May 05, 2020

by Joe Palca

Two scientists at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT say the newly developed test is so simple it could conceivably be done in someone's kitchen.

Deputy Chief Patricia Cassidy of the Jersey City Police Department has blood drawn to test for coronavirus antibodies in Jersey City, N.J., on Monday.

Health & Safety

FDA Cracks Down On Antibody Tests For Coronavirus

4:31pm May 04, 2020

by Richard Harris

These tests are designed to identify people who have been previously exposed to the virus. The Food and Drug Administration is now telling manufacturers they'll have to meet minimum standards.

A COVID-19 antibody testing center is seen at Steve's 9th Street Market in Brooklyn on April 25. Here's a quick guide to sorting out the pluses and minuses to each type of test.

Health & Safety

How Reliable Are COVID-19 Tests? Depends Which One You Mean

5:50pm May 01, 2020

by Richard Harris

What types of tests are available for the coronavirus, and how accurate are they? Here's a handy guide to the field.

An illustration shows spiky antigens studding the virus's outer coat. Tests under development that look for these antigens might be faster than PCR tests for diagnosing COVID-19, proponents say. But the tests might still need PCR-test confirmation.

A Next-Generation Coronavirus Test Raises Hopes And Concerns

2:19pm April 30, 2020

by Rob Stein

An antigen test could be quick, and much simpler and cheaper than the PCR tests now used to spot people infected with the novel coronavirus. But some scientists worry about an antigen test's accuracy.

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A woman gets a novel coronavirus test in Los Angeles earlier this month. The City of Los Angeles, in partnership with Los Angeles County, will offer free coronavirus testing to all residents regardless of whether they have symptoms.

Los Angeles City And County Offer Free Coronavirus Testing To All Residents

2:18pm April 30, 2020

by Scott Neuman

The announcement by Mayor Eric Garcetti makes LA the first major city to offer free testing to all its residents. It came as county health officials reported another 1,541 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Lab scientists work to validate rapid IgM/IgG antibody tests of samples from recovered COVID-19 patients on April 10 in Brooklyn, N.Y.

National

Public Health Labs Suffered Budget Cuts Prior To The Coronavirus Pandemic

10:09am April 28, 2020

An APM Reports analysis finds that public labs — the first line of defense in an outbreak — in at least 10 states endured budget troubles or staffing shortages in the past decade.

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People stand in line as they wait to get tested for COVID-19 at a just-opened testing center in the Harlem section of New York on Monday.

Study Raises Questions About False Negatives From Quick COVID-19 Test

11:33am April 21, 2020

by Rob Stein

New research suggests the Abbott ID NOW test, which produces results in less than 15 minutes, is the most likely among common tests to reassure people they are not infected when they really are.

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Mammoth Biosciences and researchers at the University of California, San Francisco are working on a coronavirus test that could run multiple samples at once, with results in 35-40 minutes. Even better, they say, it doesn't require the sophisticated, expen

CRISPR And Spit Might Be Keys To Faster, Cheaper, Easier Tests For The Coronavirus

4:45pm April 17, 2020

by Joe Palca

Researchers are racing to develop quick, home-based tests for the virus that could deliver test results in minutes. None do that yet, but several under development hold promise, scientists say.

"A next step in protecting our employees might be regular testing of all Amazonians, including those showing no symptoms," Amazon CEO Bezos wrote on Thursday.

Bezos Hopes To Start Amazon Workers Coronavirus Testing 'Soon'

11:39am April 16, 2020

by Alina Selyukh

The CEO says "vastly more" COVID-19 testing is needed. The company is building its own lab to start testing some workers, potentially looking to start regular checks for all employees.

Stanford medical student Thomas Koehnkz takes a blood sample from Alan Wessel of Mountain View, Calif., for a coronavirus antibody study.

Antibody Tests For Coronavirus Can Miss The Mark

11:02am April 15, 2020

by Richard Harris

Antibody tests to detect past exposure to the coronavirus will soon be everywhere. But even the best ones can provide wrong answers surprisingly often — and give false assurance.

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