US near approving antibody test for COVID-19: Pence

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said a viable antibody test is expected to get approval in the coming days, as the country is the worst-hit one globally from the pandemic.

Pence, who heads the White House’s coronavirus task force, said on Tuesday the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is "very close" to approving the test that will help determine an individual's immunity to the novel coronavirus.

His remarks came during an interview at The Ingraham Angle program of Fox News.

"We expect the FDA to approve a new antibody test in a matter of days," he said.

The vice president stressed the U.S. would create "more than 20 million new tests a month" after the test received the green light.

Pence added: "... that'll be a test that will tell you whether you have had the coronavirus in the past and whether you might, in fact, be immune to it going forward."

Earlier in the week, the FDA also granted emergency use authorization of the first saliva-based coronavirus test.

The announcement was made on Monday by New Jersey-based Rutgers University.

The saliva test will better allow for broader population to be screened compared to the current method of nose and throat swabs and without putting health care professionals at risk for infection, according to the university.

The U.S. has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases and fatalities worldwide, with nearly 609,700 cases and over 26,000 deaths, according to the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.

In all, recoveries from the pandemic in the country neared the 50,000 mark.

Overall, the virus has spread to 185 countries, infecting nearly 2 million people, and killing over 127,600 worldwide since it first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.