The White House has employed rapid coronavirus tests since March, when Abbott Laboratories gained Food and Drug Administration emergency-use authorization for its product.
Baird said there are several portable testing machines that produce accurate and rapid results. The Cepheid's Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 test uses PCR technology on par with testing machines found in large labs, he said. PCR tests can detect the virus's genetic material and are the most accurate to detect low levels of the virus.
On Monday, Trump held a press conference at the White House announcing a plan to distribute 150 million rapid antigen tests that can be performed outside a lab. The BinaxNOW test, also made by Abbott, won approval as a $5 rapid, credit card-sized test, which must be administered by a health care professional. Admiral Brett Giroir, who oversees the nation's testing efforts, demonstrated the test during the news conference.
A person can be infected with the virus but show no symptoms from two to 14 days. That is why testing close contacts of Hicks and the president is critically important.
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