Washington, United States
The United States will provide approximately $ 232 million to the US company Ellume USA LLC to increase production of a domestic test of Covid-19 whose result is known in 15 minutes, said an official from White House.
The domestic tests received an emergency permit from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States.
This test, which is done with a nasal swab and is available without a prescription, can be performed at home and the result will be known 15 minutes later via a phone app. It is 95% accurate.
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“It can be used if the person has symptoms of Covid-19 and also to detect asymptomatically so that they can go to work, school or events,” said Andy Slavitt, White House adviser. coronavirus.
He added that the Department of Defense and the Department of Health will allocate $ 231.8 million to Ellume, who has based in Australia, increase the production of that exam.
From this month to July, the company will ship 100,000 test kits per month to the United States, he said.
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Thanks to the US contribution, Ellume USA will be able to increase test production to more than 19 million by the end of the year. Of that total, 8.5 million goes to the US government.
“The ability to conduct rapid testing, contact detection and quarantine is at the heart of our national strategy and will be an essential part of controlling the virus and stopping its spread in the community,” said Slavitt.