Antonia Esparza performs a temperature check on people arriving for their single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine in Los Angeles. Photo: Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
The Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization on Wednesday for two over-the-counter coronavirus tests that can be used routinely.
Why it matters: Although the FDA had already issued authorizations for several at-home coronavirus tests, most recently earlier this month, the tests greenlighted this week can be used multiple times instead of once.
Details: The Quidel QuickVue At-Home OTC COVID-19 test and multiple versions of the Abbott BinaxNOW test received authorizations for at-home use.
- The FDA also authorized the BD Veritor System for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2 for use at point-of-care locations.
What they're saying: “Screening testing, especially with the over-the-counter tests authorized today, is an important part of the country’s pandemic response—many schools, workplaces, communities, and other entities are setting up testing programs to quickly screen for COVID-19," Jeff Shuren, director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in a press release.