WASHINGTON - A new type of coronavirus test offers a cheaper, quicker way to screen for infections, moving the U.S.
toward the kind of mass screening that experts say is essential to returning millions of Americans to school and work. But the first so-called antigen test — announced Saturday by the Food and Drug Administration — is not quite the kind sought by top government health officials.
It is less accurate than the current gold standard for testing and can only be run on specialized equipment. “It is too early to tell,” said lab researcher Patricia Simner of Johns Hopkins University, assessing the test's impact. “It certainly has the potential to aid in more widespread testing.” Some questions and answers about the new test: The test