The US Food and Drug Administration has issued emergency authorization for a coronavirus or COVID-19 test that was made by Swiss diagnostics maker Roche. This move by the administration has been taken with the aim of boosting the screening capacity for helping the containment of the outbreak.
The tests provide results in 3.5 hours and can produce up to 4,128 results in 24 hours, Roche said on Friday. "Roche is committed to delivering as many tests as possible and is going to the limits of our production capacity," Roche said. The FDA's Emergency Use Authorization allows the tests to be deployed in markets including the United States as well as others accepting the CE mark signifying they conform to European directives.
COVID-19 pandemic affecting the world
The coronavirus or COVID-19 outbreak has claimed the lives of more than 4,500 people worldwide and has infected over 125,000 people globally. The virus has spread to more than 100 countries in the world with China being the most affected among the lot and also the epicentre of the virus. The East Asian nation is followed by Italy, Iran and South Korea. Recently, the WHO described the virus as a pandemic.
(With agency inputs)
