The Food and Drug Administration on Friday granted LabCorp an emergency use authorization to test people with no symptoms for the coronavirus, the first time the agency has authorized such a test in asymptomatic individuals.
“FDA reissued the LabCorp COVID-19 RT-PCR Test EUA to expand use of the test to anyone, after the company provided scientific data showing the test’s ability to detect SARS-CoV-2 in a general, asymptomatic population,” the agency said in a statement.
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Previously, to get a coronavirus diagnostic test, a person may have been asked to meet certain criteria, such as having symptoms of COVID-19 or close contact with a confirmed case.
In a statement to NBC News, a spokesperson for LabCorp said that the test has not changed, but that it has simply been granted authorization to expand its use to those without symptoms.