A South Bay company that says it has created a COVID-19 test that can deliver results in 45 minutes has received emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration to deliver the tests to hospitals and medical facilities.
Sunnyvale-based Cepheid focuses on diagnostic testing. The test the company has created is unique in that it can be run on-site without being sent to a lab.
The company released a video demonstrating how the testing works. First, the technician collects a nasal swab. The sample is then transferred to a cartridge which is inserted into a testing platform that can detect the virus. In the video statement Cepheid created, the company said results are available in less than an hour.
Cepheid said it already has more than 5,000 testing platforms in use around the country to test for tuberculosis and HIV. Now they’ll test for COVID-19.
The company said they will roll out the new tests next week. They will not be available directly to consumers.
