Health Canada approves use of quick COVID-19 test
Results in 15 minutes
Health Canada has approved the use of a rapid COVID testing device that can render results in 15 minutes.
A nasal or throat sample is collected on a swab and plugged into an analyzer which can detect the presence of the virus.
The approval comes a day after the federal government announced it would buy 7.9 million of the ID NOW tests from U.S.-based Abbott Laboratories for distribution in Canada.
The use of the new units could result in millions of more tests for communities grappling with a surge in coronavirus cases.
Until now, the majority of tests have been done at public health clinics, with samples sent to laboratories for analysis.