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Test Faster, Treat Faster T


he patient presents with cough, body aches, nasal congestion, fever, etc. It’s the standard list of symptoms


for the  u.


It’s also the standard list of symptoms for a patient infected with COVID-19. Without rapid, point-of-care (POC) testing, it may be diffi cult to diagnose a respiratory illness, and to recommend the most effective and expedient course of treatment.


high.


This winter, the stakes are especially Hospitals continue to see new COVID-


19 cases, and with  u season coming on, healthcare facilities are gearing up for a tough round of both.


One of the clearest routes of prevention,


according to Jeff Andrews, MD, FRCSC, and Vice President of Medical Affairs at global medical technology company BD, is early detection and correct diagnosis. “We now have oral antiviral treatments available by prescription for both COVID and the flu, but those work best when prescribed early in the course of illness,” Andrews says.


Getting a late jump on treatment can mean the difference between a patient’s quick recovery, and prolonged illness. Amplifi ed across a community, this can mean the difference between containment and outbreak. The BD Veritor™ Plus System now fea-


tures a new 3-in-1 SARS-CoV-2 and Flu A+B assay. The BD Veritor™ Plus System can produce positive-negative results for all three viruses from a patient’s single nasal swab sample, in just 15 minutes. “The whole system is a little bit bigger


than a cell phone, and easily fi ts in your palm. It has one-button functionality,


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and you can use it one test at a time, or in batch testing,” Andrews says. The device is fi tted with a rechargeable battery and is simple to use.


Among the testing system’s other unique features is real-time-reporting capability that can automatically send data to health authorities.


The BD Veritor™ Plus System was granted approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Other versions of the testing system are currently in use at more than 70,000 health- care facilities. In addition to COVID-19 and in uenza, the system can test separately for respira- tory syncytial virus (RSV) and Group A Strep.


The BD Veritor™ Plus System could not have been developed at a better time, says Andrews.


“We know there are good vaccines, so that will certainly help. But overall, there’s


less mask wearing going into this winter than there was last winter,” Andrews says. “We’re concerned about having both COVID and  u, co-circulating. In addition, international travel bans


have recently been lifted, and pent-up demand is bringing in visitors from abroad in high numbers.


“If we look back at previous seasons


and epidemiological work reported by the CDC, it appears that typically the  u comes to orth America from other parts of the world. When you open up air  ights, you’re likely replicating what happened before COVID, with travelers unwittingly bringing in the  u, Andrews said.


In light of these potentialities, the BD


Veritor™ Plus System promises to be an important tool in combatting serious respiratory illness in the coming months, he says. “The ability to use one sample swab and test for three viruses is going to make a very big difference.” *Disclaimer: This product has not been FDA cleared or approved, but has been authorized by FDA under an EUA for use by authorized laboratories. This product has been authorized only for the detection of proteins from SARS-CoV-, in uenza A and influenza B, not for any other viruses or pathogens. The emergency use of this product is only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circum- stances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of in vitro diagnostics for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID- 19 under Section 564(b)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the declaration is terminated or authorization is revoked sooner. HPN


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