NBC News: White House boosts funding for Covid tests as infections continue to surge. “The Biden administration is accelerating investments in Covid-19 testing to combat a fourth wave of infections washing over states and regions with low vaccination rates as those rates stall and some people resist a return to mask mandates, three administration officials said.”
TechCrunch: Amazon is now selling its own COVID-19 test kits for $39.99 in the U.S.. “Amazon announced this morning it would begin to sell its own brand of COVID-19 at-home tests to Amazon shoppers in the U.S. The test retails for $39.99 on the Amazon.com website and is available to any U.S. customer without a prescription.”
Washington Post: New accounts detail how New York health officials were told to prioritize coronavirus testing of people connected to Andrew Cuomo. “New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s relatives and other well-connected New Yorkers were among those given preferential treatment at state coronavirus testing centers. State troopers were on standby to rush their samples to a lab to be expedited. And those with priority status got results within hours or a day compared to a wait of up to a week that other New Yorkers faced at the time. Seven individuals with firsthand knowledge of testing practices said that some people with access to power were able to largely bypass the overburdened resources available to the general public when the pandemic first gripped New York last year.”
Israel 21c: Researchers develop cheap, rapid test for Covid variants. “Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev recently developed a rapid and cost-effective test to identify Covid-19’s British and South African variants within hours instead of days, enabling effective response and containment measures.”
Mashable: DoorDash can now deliver COVID-19 test kits to your house. “The DoorDash app is no longer just for ordering pizza or late-night snacks — it’ll now help you check if you have the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, without leaving your house. The food delivery app teamed up with two home testing kit companies to offer the self-administered tests on-demand. Both test kits should arrive the day you order them through DoorDash’s DashMart, its digital convenience store that carries products from places like Walgreens, 7-Eleven, and CVS, and can be ordered whether or not you’re showing symptoms.”
Reuters: Greece to hand out self-testing kits as COVID-19 cases stay high. “Greece will start distributing free do-it-yourself COVID-19 tests next month, the government said on Saturday, as it seeks to alleviate pressure on a healthcare system facing a stubbornly high level of new infections. Everyone with a social security number will be entitled to four of the test kits per month, and they will be distributed at pharmacies.”
BBC: Covid-19: Mumbai to roll out compulsory testing in crowded places. “The Indian city of Mumbai is to roll out mandatory coronavirus tests in crowded places as the country grapples with a rise in infections. The local government said rapid tests would be done randomly in areas such as shopping centres and train stations. A refusal to be tested will ‘amount to an offence’, it said.”
The Guardian: Covid: viral shedding is greatest in afternoon, study suggests. “The phased return of children to classrooms across the UK has prompted widespread concern that this could lead to an increase in infections. Because of this, college and secondary schoolchildren are required to take twice weekly lateral flow tests, to monitor rates of infection in the community. However, new research, which has not yet been peer reviewed, suggests Covid-19 tests may be less likely to give false negative results if taken during the early afternoon, compared with other times of day.”
National Science Foundation: Chip delivers COVID-19 test results on a phone. “COVID-19 can be diagnosed in 55 minutes or less with the help of programmed magnetic nanobeads and a diagnostic tool that plugs into an off-the-shelf cellphone, according to Rice University engineers. Mechanical engineer Peter Lillehoj has developed a stamp-sized microfluidic chip that measures the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein, a biomarker for COVID-19, in blood serum from a standard finger prick. The nanobeads bind to SARS-CoV-2 N protein in the chip and transport it to an electrochemical sensor that detects minute amounts of the biomarker.”
WGRZ: Two local major retailers say they’re considering whether to sell rapid COVID-19 home tests. “Two local major retailers say they’re looking into the possibility of selling rapid at-home COVID-19 testing kits in stores. And, just this week, the FDA made a move intended to accelerate the delivery of these devices more broadly to consumers. There are numerous efforts locally and nationally already underway to try to get COVID-19 testing kits closer to you.”
FDA: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA takes steps to streamline path for COVID-19 screening tools, provides information to help groups establishing testing programs. “Testing remains an important cornerstone of our nation’s fight against COVID-19. This includes schools, workplaces, communities and other locations using testing to screen asymptomatic individuals who may still spread the virus. Screening involves testing asymptomatic individuals who do not have known or suspected exposure to COVID-19 in order to make individual decisions, such as whether an individual should participate in an activity, based on the test results. Today, we are providing information for test developers about a streamlined path to emergency use authorization for these important screening tools as well as information to help these groups as they set up testing programs.”
Mashable: Tinder will give 500 lucky matches free COVID tests. “With the United States finally turning a corner with the coronavirus pandemic, singles are taking to dating apps (and the vaccine line) to find potential dates. With safety top of mind for many, Tinder will send 500 matched couples (1,000 users) home COVID-19 test kits from Everywell.”
BBC: Covid: Japan asks China to stop anal tests on its citizens. “Japan has asked China to stop taking anal swab tests for Covid-19 on its citizens when they enter the country. Some have complained that the procedure caused them ‘psychological distress’, officials say. China, which has largely brought the virus under control, started carrying out anal swabs in January.”
New York Times: Andrew Brooks, Who Developed a Coronavirus Spit Test, Dies at 51. “Andrew Brooks, a research professor at Rutgers University who developed the first saliva test for the coronavirus, died on Jan. 23 in Manhattan. He was 51. The cause was a heart attack, his sister, Janet Green, said.”
Washington Post: China rolls out anal swab coronavirus test, saying it’s more accurate than throat method. “Chinese state media outlets introduced the new protocol in recent days, prompting widespread discussion and some outrage. Some Chinese doctors say the science is there. Recovering patients, they say, have continued to test positive through samples from the lower digestive tract days after nasal and throat swabs came back negative. Yet for many, it seemed a step too far in government intrusions after a year and counting of a dignity-eroding pandemic.”
