Free At-Home COVID Tests and Paxlovid

David Winter, MD, at Baylor Scott & White Health, answers the most common patient questions and reacts to the latest medical research. Are COVID cases starting to go down? (SOT@ :14, TRT :49) How reliable are at-home COVID tests? Can…

11 things to know now that COVID-19 isn’t an “emergency” anymore

Life has changed forever because of COVID-19. And the virus is still spreading, and still causing serious illness or significant disruption of ‘normal’ life. But when the clock strikes 11:59 p.m. on May 11, some of the special rules and programs put in place during the past three years will end. Here’s a guide.

Data Analytics Could Prevent Testing Bottlenecks During Future Pandemics

Breaking research demonstrates the efficacy of two data analytics-based strategies that clinical labs employed to meet COVID-19 testing demands during the height of the pandemic. These findings, published in the Data Science Issue of AACC’s The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine, give labs a blueprint for using data analytics to ensure patient access to testing during future infectious disease outbreaks.

Kids and the COVID-19 Vaccine: Eleven Key Questions Answered

With the vaccine for children ages 6 months and older approved, the experts at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles provide guidance for families. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone approved to receive a COVID-19 vaccine get one—including children ages 6 months and older.

Breaking Research That Could Advance COVID-19 Treatment and Testing Announced at the 2021 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting

A groundbreaking study shows that a new rapid test identifies COVID-19 patients who will deteriorate with greater accuracy than existing tests, thus helping patients to get life-saving treatment. Findings on this method, as well as a novel study on the performance of coronavirus tests in children, were presented today at the 2021 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo.

New rapid COVID-19 test the result of university-industry partnership

A partnership between UC Davis and Maurice J. Gallagher, Jr., chairman and CEO of Allegiant Travel Company, has led to a 20-minute COVID-19 test. The method pairs a mass spectrometer with a powerful machine-learning platform to detect SARS-CoV-2 in nasal swabs. A recent study published in Nature Scientific Reports shows the test to be 98.3% accurate for positive COVID-19 tests and 96% for negative tests.

RADx diversifies COVID-19 test portfolio with four new contracts, including one to detect variants

NIH has awarded four additional contracts for the development and scaled-up manufacturing of new COVID-19 diagnostic testing technologies through its Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Tech (RADx) initiative. The awards total $29.3 million and will help increase testing capacity for COVID-19.

Two New Tests Could Lower the Coronavirus Mortality Rate by Improving Treatment for Severely Ill COVID-19 Patients

A new study shows that a first-of-its-kind rapid test could identify which COVID-19 patients are responding to drug treatments and which patients are still deteriorating and need higher doses of medication. Findings on this method and on a second test that could predict COVID-19 severity were presented today at the virtual 2020 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo.

Media Advisory: AnteoTech enters high sensitivity Assay Development market built on proprietary AnteoBind™ technology.

AnteoTech marks its entry into the Assay Development market through the design of a high sensitivity COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test. The test uses an AnteoBind™ activated Europium particle to enable the detection of low viral loads. AnteoTech is pleased to announce the expansion of its business to include Assay Development in addition to its existing Raw Material Supply business.

George Washington University Public Health/Medical Experts Available for Media Interviews on the COVID-19 Pandemic

Public health experts predict the United States may be headed for thousands of new COVID-19 cases and deaths this winter, a surge that is already straining health care systems around the country. The George Washington University has the following experts…

Out of Many COVID-19 Tests, Which One to Choose?

Curbing the coronavirus pandemic relies heavily on how quickly a potentially exposed individual can be tested and quarantined. However, the current diagnostic techniques vary in reliability and relevance, so an understanding of which test is most appropriate for a given circumstance is necessary to avoid false reports. Researchers evaluated the available diagnostic techniques and determined key steps required for better testing moving forward. They present their findings in the journal APL Bioengineering.

Virus-like probes could help make rapid COVID-19 testing more accurate, reliable

Nanoengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed new and improved probes, known as positive controls, that could make it easier to validate rapid, point-of-care diagnostic tests for COVID-19 across the globe. The advance could help expand testing to low-resource, underserved areas.

UNH Digs Deep Testing Wastewater for Early Warning Signs of COVID-19

The University of New Hampshire has gone underground to flush out cases of the coronavirus by testing wastewater on campus. The sewage sampling is being used as a secondary surveillance method to the already required twice a week individual nasal test to track and detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Coronavirus Test Results Are Faster but Still Too Slow For Contract Tracing, National Survey Says

The average test times for coronavirus results have fallen from four days in April to 2.7 days in September, but results are still too slow for effective contact tracing, according to a new nationwide survey led by researchers from Rutgers University–New Brunswick and Northeastern, Harvard and Northwestern universities.

AACC Urges Congress to Fund Laboratory Training Programs to Better Prepare the U.S. for Future Pandemics

In the face of a chronic shortage of professionals who are qualified to perform clinical laboratory tests—including those for COVID-19—AACC released a position statement today calling on Congress to provide federal funding to expand clinical laboratory training programs. This will help to ensure that labs have the staffing they need to deliver timely, accurate test results, particularly during public health emergencies such as the current coronavirus pandemic.

A New Test Could Identify COVID-19 Patients Who Are at Risk for Severe Illness

A novel study in AACC’s Clinical Chemistry journal shows that a new test for SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins known as antigens could determine which COVID-19 patients are most likely to become critically ill. This test could help improve management of COVID-19 by enabling hospitals to ensure that these patients have access to intensive care.

Parents Trust Colleges More than Students for COVID-19 Safety, New Survey by TimelyMD Finds

Parents of college students indicate many concerns about their students’ return to the classroom (on campus or online), including their health, the quality of their education, and the likelihood of their following public health guidance when administrators aren’t looking. Fielded last week, this survey by TimelyMD has the latest data available as campus reopening plans change daily.

Labs Still Do Not Have Supplies for COVID-19 Testing, AACC Survey Finds

A new survey of U.S. clinical laboratories conducted by AACC has found that nearly half of all responding labs still do not have the supplies they need to run COVID-19 tests. AACC presented these findings to the White House Coronavirus Task Force today in a letter that calls on the federal government to take a more active role in alleviating this problem, so that labs can increase their testing capacity in the midst of the virus’s latest surge.

AACC Is Honored to Participate in a New Federal Initiative to Improve COVID-19 Testing Across the U.S.

We at AACC would like to thank Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett P. Giroir, MD, for his leadership in establishing the National Testing Implementation Forum to address the persistent challenges that the U.S. is facing with COVID-19 testing and for inviting us to participate in this initiative.

Asymptomatic Testing Central to UC San Diego’s Return to Learn for Fall Quarter

The University of California San Diego today announced the next step in its Return to Learn program, which will guide an incremental repopulation of the campus while offering broad, asymptomatic testing for faculty, staff and students on a recurring basis to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

To Prevent a Second Wave of COVID-19, AACC Calls on Senate to Include 5 Recommendations in Upcoming Coronavirus Bill

Now that the latest coronavirus relief package, known as the Heroes Act, has moved forward to the U.S. Senate, AACC has sent a letter to Senate leadership outlining five key recommendations that will improve COVID-19 testing capacity across the U.S. AACC urges the Senate to ensure these recommendations are addressed within the Heroes Act, as they are critical to preventing a second wave of the pandemic.

AACC Issues Recommendations on the Use of COVID-19 Antibody Tests

To ensure the proper use of antibody testing for the novel coronavirus, AACC today issued a public statement detailing the role these tests should play in the management of COVID-19 patients and in the development of public health policy. In particular, the organization emphasizes that healthcare professionals and policymakers should work closely with laboratory experts on antibody testing to ensure that these tests are validated, used appropriately, and interpreted correctly.

Not All FDA-Authorized COVID-19 Antibody Tests Are Equally Reliable

A first-of-its-kind study published today in AACC’s Clinical Chemistry journal compared the performance of two COVID-19 antibody tests and found that—even though both tests are FDA authorized—one produced more incorrect results than the other. These findings could help healthcare professionals and researchers to better select antibody tests, which are essential to both treating COVID-19 patients and determining the full extent of the outbreak.

AACC Launches Free Video Series to Help Explain COVID-19 Testing

To address some of the confusion surrounding COVID-19 testing, AACC today launched a video series in which leading laboratory experts answer common questions about tests for the pandemic. From persistent supply shortages to the emergence of antibody tests, these videos quickly answer the questions that patients and the general public have been asking.

Lab Experts Can Fill Gaps in FDA Regulation by Validating COVID-19 Antibody Tests

Now that diagnostic companies can sell COVID-19 antibody tests without FDA authorization, healthcare teams should work closely with clinical laboratory experts to ensure that these tests are thoroughly validated and used appropriately. A new opinion piece in AACC’s Clinical Chemistry journal emphasizes that this is critical to minimizing the risk of inaccurate results from these tests, which could have potentially life-threatening consequences.