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Our Quick Guide to Rapid COVID-19 Testing
Here's what to look for when choosing your rapid coronavirus test.
When it comes to COVID-19, knowledge is power. People want to know if they are infectious or not and they want their results now.
Rapid tests are best at detecting higher amounts of viral load when people are most likely to be infectious. And they deliver results quickly enough to help sick individuals from potentially spreading the virus to others. With multiple rapid tests available, what should you look for when selecting a rapid test?
Our Rapid COVID-19 Tests Our BinaxNOW test is the size of a credit card and requires no specialized instrumentation. This sleek form factor is what allows us to make it at scale and sell it at an affordable price. Select BinaxNOW tests can be used with a no-charge app called NAVICA, which allows people who test negative to display their results on their mobile device. The test can be used at home with a prescription through a virtually guided online service. And in April 2021, our BinaxNOW Self Test became available as an over-the-counter, self test at national retail stores. Each box contains two tests for frequent serial testing and has a suggested retail price of $23.99.
Our other rapid COVID-19 test is the ID NOW system, a molecular point-of-care test the size of a toaster that's designed to deliver results in 13 minutes or less. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we've more than tripled the availability of ID NOW production in the U.S. to meet the public need for more and faster molecular testing in more places.
Even as promising vaccines become more widely available, reliable, quick and convenient rapid testing will play an important role in containing pockets of infection and helping people get back to business, travel, school and visiting loved ones.
Because the sooner your COVID results are known, the sooner you can get back to the things you want to do.
And now, you're ready.
This story was originally published on March 08, 2021 and updated on June 03, 2022.
Important safety information
The BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 tests have not been FDA cleared or approved. They have been authorized by the FDA under an emergency use authorization. They have been authorized only for the detection of proteins from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens, and are only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of in vitro diagnostics for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19 under Section 564(b)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the declaration is terminated or authorization is revoked sooner. For serial testing, the BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Tests should be performed twice over 3 days, at least 24 hours (and no more than 48 hours) apart. For symptomatic use, a single test can be used.
The ID NOW COVID-19 EUA has not been FDA cleared or approved. It has been authorized by the FDA under an emergency use authorization for use by authorized laboratories and patient care settings. The test has been authorized only for the detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens, and is only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of in vitro diagnostic tests for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19 under Section 564(b)(1) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless theauthorization is terminated or revoked sooner.