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https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="➡️" title="Pfeil nach rechts" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach rechts"> Why the 1 million Abbott BinaxNOW tests per day are not enough
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="➡️" title="Pfeil nach rechts" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach rechts"> Why we need 20 million tests per day
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="➡️" title="Pfeil nach rechts" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach rechts"> Why several companies could produce millions of tests per day but are choosing not to, due to regulatory uncertainty and lack of gov support.
We could likely re-open schools if we combine masks, social distancing, and ventilation with 2x per week rapid testing.
To test all 35 million K-8 students, we would need 20 million tests per day.
To test all 35 million K-8 students, we would need 20 million tests per day.
The Abbott BinaxNOW was recently approved for prescription use. It can currently be produced at about 1 million per day, far short of what we need.
On the inside, the Abbott BinaxNOW is a paper strip. But it& #39;s encased in a larger cardboard cassette, which is a huge bottleneck slowing down production.
It& #39;s possible to get much higher throughput by just producing the paper strip that comes inside. We& #39;ve heard as much as 10x throughput. Doing so would also bring down the wholesale price to as low as $0.20.
So why not just produce these paper strips?
The conventional answer is that people often don& #39;t use the paper strips correctly.
And it& #39;s true, usability is a real problem.
The good news though is there are solutions!
The conventional answer is that people often don& #39;t use the paper strips correctly.
And it& #39;s true, usability is a real problem.
The good news though is there are solutions!
One solution is to pair the paper strip with a smart phone app. When you take a picture, the app can read the test correctly and can confirm that it was done properly.
The other solution is to pair the paper strip with a reusable plastic cassette. You& #39;d only have to buy the cassette once. Like BinaxNOW cardboard cassette, a plastic cassette would help with usability.
These solutions will likely bring the clinical (in-practice) sensitivity of these tests up to the level of the BinaxNOW. But even if they only bring up the sensitivity to 90% of the BinaxNOW, that& #39;s easily worth the 10X gain in volume!
Multiple companies can each produce multiple millions of these simple paper strip tests. But they are *choosing not to* because of regulatory uncertainty and fear that their factory investments won& #39;t pay off after the pandemic goes away.
When companies can& #39;t afford to invest in pandemic-solving tech, it& #39;s the role of the government to step in and provide financial support and regulatory clarity. Visit http://rapidtests.org"> http://rapidtests.org to support these tests.
Special thanks to @michaelmina_lab @sikeslab @Kevin_P_Nichols.
Special thanks to @michaelmina_lab @sikeslab @Kevin_P_Nichols.
