Abbott has launched Panbio COVID-19 Antigen Self-Test for the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in adults and children with or without symptoms. Self-test kits are offered in packages of one, four, 10 and 20 tests.

With results in just 15 minutes, the Panbio COVID-19 Antigen Self-Test enables people who test positive to immediately isolate so that they do not infect others, rather than waiting days for results.

The test is to be used along with Abbott’s NAVICA mobile app, available in the Google Play and Apple app store. The app offers a simple and streamlined process of self-registration, automatic reading of results and easy reporting as per ICMR guidelines. Panbio Self-Tests will be available via retail pharmacies and through e-commerce platforms, as well as through organisations and institutions.

The Panbio professional test demonstrated 95.7 per cent sensitivity and 97.6 per cent specificity when benchmarked against RT-PCR tests, indicating high reliability. Panbio has CE Mark for asymptomatic use and supervised nasal swab collection and is on the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Use Listing.

Also available is Abbott’s ID NOW system, a molecular point-of-care test the size of a toaster that's designed to deliver results in less than 15 minutes. ID NOW is being widely being used at airports, emergency departments, diagnostics laboratories and in a wide variety of other point-of-care settings.