President Donald Trump's administration announced Friday it is awarding $1.3 million to two companies trying to develop rapid COVID-19 tests that could detect whether a person is positive for the new coronavirus within an hour.
The Department of Health and Human Services said it is awarding $679,000 to DiaSorin Molecular, of Cypress, California, and $598,000 to QIAGEN, of Germantown, Maryland, to accelerate development of their tests.
DiaSorin's test could be ready within six weeks for consideration by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the QIAGEN test could be ready within 12 weeks for FDA consideration, according to HHS.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus.
According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, about 81,000 people have been diagnosed and about 64,000 have recovered.
___
The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Allison Pohle, reporter at The Wall Street Journal, breaks down airline chaos, surprise winners, and what the latest rankings mean for your next flight.
Jason Chinnock discusses Ducati’s 100th anniversary, blending a century of racing heritage with innovation, off-road expansion, and plans for the next 100 years
Jasmine Sun on unregulated peptides moving from fringe biohacking to Silicon Valley mainstream, promising healing, focus, and optimization with little oversight
For Trump, markets matter more than polls. Luke Broadwater, White House correspondent for The New York Times, examines how Wall Street guides decisions.
As political and economic uncertainty rises, Americans are seeking second passports and golden visas. Latitude Group’s CEO explains what’s driving the surge.
As AI and electrification drive record power demand, nuclear energy returns to the spotlight. Lightbridge CEO explains how advanced fuel could reshape the grid.
Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary breaks down his Hollywood debut, Marty Supreme’s $100M box office run, Oscar buzz, and what business taught him about movies.
