The Food and Drug Administration over the weekend gave emergency approval to a new approach to COVID-19 testing that combines test samples in batches rather than running them one by one, thereby speeding up the process.
The FDA announced on Saturday that it had reissued an emergency use authorization to Quest Diagnostics to use its coronavirus test with pooled samples.
It is the first test to be authorized for use in that way.
With pooling, labs would combine parts of samples from several people and test them together.
A negative result would clear everyone in the batch.
On the other hand, a positive result would require each sample to be individually retested.
Pooling works best with lab-run tests, which take hours, not the quicker individual tests that are used in clinics or doctor’s offices.
Today, the FDA issued the first Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for sample pooling in a #COVID19 diagnostic test. https://t.co/YtHeydxH1N pic.twitter.com/WF7Im9dIXP
— U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) July 18, 2020
The potential benefits of sample pooling include stretching lab supplies further, as well as reducing costs and expanding testing to millions more Americans who may unknowingly be spreading the virus.
Health officials continue to say they believe that infected, asymptomatic people are largely responsible for the rising number of cases throughout the country.
“It’s a really good tool. It can be used in any of a number of circumstances, including at the community level or even in schools,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said last month at a Senate hearing.
Pooling does not save time or resources when used in a COVID-19 hot spot, such as a nursing home. That is because the logistical and financial benefits of pooling only show when a small number of pools test positive.
Experts recommend the technique be used when fewer than 10 percent of people are expected to test positive for the virus.