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US pharmacies authorized to test for coronavirus

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/reuters/04/09/20200408-health-coronavirus-usa-nurses.jpg"/><figcaption>FILE PHOTO: Medical technicians take a sample to test for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a drive through testing site in Medford, Massachusetts, US, April 4, 2020. Brian Snyder, Reuters</figcaption></figure></div>WASHINGTON- The US authorized pharmacies on Wednesday to carry out tests for the coronavirus, including newly developed antibody tests that detect whether a person who has recovered from illness had COVID-19.Health secretary Alex Azar, announced that all tests approved by regulators could be carried out by pharmacies as the country seeks to ramp up its testing efforts.&quot;The Trump Administration is pleased to give pharmacists the chance to play a bigger role in the COVID-19 response, alongside all of America&#x27;s heroic healthcare workers,&quot; he said.A nasal swab test can detect whether a person currently has the coronavirus.After they have recovered, a test that looks at whether their body developed antibodies that fought off the virus and can be used -- even if the person never showed symptoms.There are different kinds of antibody tests and they can&#x27;t yet tell whether a person has sufficient antibodies to be protected against future infection.A Chinese study posted this week, but not yet peer-reviewed, showed that some former patients had relatively low levels of antibodies in the blood.In Washington on Wednesday, a private medical center announced that it was offering a 15-minute serology test, at a cost of $290.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/04/09/20/coronavirus-attacks-global-economy-as-europe-us-deaths-mount">Coronavirus attacks global economy as Europe, US deaths mount</a></li></ul>

WASHINGTON- The US authorized pharmacies on Wednesday to carry out tests for the coronavirus, including newly developed antibody tests that detect whether a person who has recovered from illness had COVID-19.

WASHINGTON- The US authorized pharmacies on Wednesday to carry out tests for the coronavirus, including newly developed antibody tests that detect whether a person who has recovered from illness had COVID-19.