WASHINGTON, D.C. (KERO) — A new screening tool used to detect COVID-19 will soon be deployed.
The Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency use authorization for the first device that can detect the presence of COVID-19 using a breath sample. It's a suitcase-sized box that offers rapid results in under 3 minutes and can administer up to 160 tests a day.
The company says the device is to be used in doctors' offices, hospitals, and mobile testing sites.
The breath test will likely not replace the nasal test. The FDA says a positive test from the breathalyzer should be followed up with a PCR test.
