With the product from Australian company Ellume, users can swab themselves at home and check their status in about 20 minutes<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
MONDAY, Feb. 1, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. government has awarded a $231 million contract for production of a recently approved over-the-counter COVID-19 home test kit.<\/p>\n
With the product from Australian company Ellume, users can swab themselves at home and check their status in about 20 minutes. It is one of only three consumer self-use tests and the only one available without a doctor’s prescription, the Associated Press<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n Ellume said it would use the contract to build a U.S. manufacturing plant and deliver 8.5 million tests for federal use, but the company did not give a delivery timeframe.<\/p>\n Health experts have long emphasized the need for fast, widespread home testing, but the vast majority of tests still require a nasal swab to be taken by a health worker and sent to a lab for processing, the AP <\/em>reported.<\/p>\n