[ad_1]
Addressing the challenges in the US, Aly Morici, Abbott’s director of public relations, said in an email that “scaling up a dime is hard, but we’re doing it again.” He acknowledged that “there will be some supply restrictions in the coming weeks.”
Abbott invited workers back to the Maine factory this month to meet what he described as “unexpected production needs” in a letter. But it’s unclear how many employees will return. With just a two-week “thank you” pay extension, as outlined in their severance package, and no guarantee that their job would continue, they would forego weeks of pay for not working.
The company was not in this position in early 2020. Anticipating the need for fast, reliable testing that does not require special equipment, Abbott assembled a team of nearly 100 scientists, supply chain experts and engineers to design BinaxNOW in a highly compressed timeframe. “Everybody was working non-stop,” said Mr. Ford. “After all, this is what Abbott was built for.”
The test strip, which looks like a pregnancy stick, is less sensitive than PCR but gives results instantly, enabling a company or school to take immediate action.
The FDA granted emergency clearance to BinaxNOW last August. A day later, the U.S. government announced plans to purchase 150 million tests for $760 million — $5 per test plus shipping — for use in settings including nursing homes and schools.
Friendship Public Charter School in Washington received 20,000 government-purchased BinaxNOW tests free of charge as part of a pilot program sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation. The school’s general manager, Patricia A. Brantley, said that 70 percent of students’ parents prefer to pass weekly tests. 3-year-olds had to slap their noses in exchange for a sticker. “Testing is an important part of the strategy not only to reopen schools, but also to keep them open,” Ms Brantley said.
Northwestern University also adopted BinaxNOW early, testing students twice a week. According to Luke Figora, the school’s vice president of operations, the university performed up to 5,000 rapid tests per day.
[ad_2]
Source link