US FDA authorizes new Coronavirus test that delivers results in five minutes

In a massive development in the fight against the deadly Coronavirus pandemic, President of the United States Donald Trump has announced that the Food and Drug Administration has authorized a new Coronavirus test that delivers "lightning-fast results" in as less as five minutes. The new testing is developed by an American medical devices and health care company named Abbott Laboratories.

The US President in his press brief highlighted that the approval by FDA usually requires 10 months however, keeping in mind the urgency due to the pandemic, the authority has approved the tests in four weeks. 

"Normally this approval process from the FDA would take ten months and even longer but we did it in four weeks. Abbott has stated that they will begin delivering 50,000 tests each day starting this week," Trump said.

READ | Google CEO Sundar Pichai Announces $800 Million For Small Businesses, Crisis Responders

READ | Apple Comes Up With COVID-19 App, Website To Provide Credible Information

USA's condition worsens due to Coronavirus

The USA is struggling to contain the pandemic that has gripped the country. New York, the financial capital of the USA has witnessed a massive surge in the number of COVID-19 cases. Three weeks after its first Coronavirus infection was discovered, the NYC region reached an alarming milestone and now accounts for roughly 5 per cent of the world’s confirmed cases, making it an epicentre of the pandemic and increasing pressure on officials to take more drastic measures. Hospitals in the state are overwhelmed. California has said it could be facing the next major wave of the disease. The total number of Coronavirus cases in the USA has risen over 1,40,000 with over 2,450 deaths.

The deadly Coronavirus outbreak that originated in China last year has spread across 197 countries across the world. Presently, there are over 7,21,000 confirmed global cases of the COVID-19 infection which has led to the death of nearly 34,000 people worldwide. As there is no vaccine or specific antiviral medicine to treat COVID-19, countries have been grappling with all possible mechanisms to contain its spread. So far, Italy, Iran, Spain and the US have witnessed the most number of confirmed cases of the novel Coronavirus. China the originator of the virus somehow has managed to contain its spread.

READ | USA Expresses Solidarity With India: 'Will Work Shoulder To Shoulder Against Covid-19'

READ | US Could See 100,000-200,000 Deaths From COVID-19: Top Health Expert