The kit can be used by labs immediately, but is only approved for the duration of the public health emergency.
Thermo Fisher said the kit can give results within four hours of a sample being received by a lab.
A Thermo Fisher spokesperson told STAT the company plans to produce 5 million test kits by the week of April 3.
Thermo Fisher’s diagnostic test is the second to receive emergency use authorization by the FDA during the coronavirus outbreak, following the approval of Roche’s test, which the company said can test up to 4,128 patients a day. Thermo Fisher didn’t say how many patients their test can diagnose per day.
Read the full news release here.
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