Rapid COVID Testing Is Not Where It Needs to Be

This transcript has been edited for clarity.

Robert D. Glatter, MD: Hi and welcome. I'm Dr Robert Glatter, medical advisor for Medscape Emergency Medicine. COVID-19 has killed more than 320,000 Americans so far. What was evident from the outset of the pandemic was the lack of a clear national policy and strategy related to testing as a way to reduce transmission of the virus.

Here to discuss this dilemma and solutions is Dr Michael Mina, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Welcome, Dr Mina.

Michael J. Mina, MD, PhD: Thanks very much. I'm happy to be here.

Glatter: It's great to have you here. Over the past several months, you've been a very strong advocate for embracing a new testing strategy using rapid tests in the United States and abroad. You've also made a sound argument that the technology for doing these rapid, convenient, and inexpensive tests in our homes already exists and that the widespread use of such an approach could even be more crucial than a vaccine program.

Could you explain to our audience, for those who may not be familiar with your research or approach, what your central message is regarding how we should be testing the public in order to rein in the pandemic at this point in time?