MONDAY, Feb. 1, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. government has awarded a $231 million contract for production of a recently approved over-the-counter COVID-19 home test kit.
With the product from Australian company Ellume, users can swab themselves at home and check their status in about 20 minutes. It is one of only three consumer self-use tests and the only one available without a doctor’s prescription, the Associated Press reported.
Ellume said it would use the contract to build a U.S. manufacturing plant and deliver 8.5 million tests for federal use, but the company did not give a delivery timeframe.
Health experts have long emphasized the need for fast, widespread home testing, but the vast majority of tests still require a nasal swab to be taken by a health worker and sent to a lab for processing, the AP reported.
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