As Week 1 in college football arrives, so, too, do "thousands of rapid, point-of-care COVID-19 tests for the dozens of programs planning to play this year," according to Ross Dellenger of SI.com. But these tests "aren’t significantly impactful to a fall football season." Still, experts said that the "true game-changers aren’t far behind." Dellenger noted "quickly moving down the pipeline is a wave of new-generation rapid tests set up for at-site results (point of care)." One doctor is "even hopeful that a self-administering at-home test ... could be available by the time March Madness is scheduled to start." Dellenger noted the BinaxNOW testing machine by Abbott Technologies is "even quicker, cheaper and potentially more accurate" than others being used. This is why industry experts "believe the BinaxNOW is a true game-changer for society and sports." The developments in the testing industry are "significant for the completion of a 2020–21 college sports year, and Abbott’s latest innovation could potentially help a fall football season reach the finish line -- or, for some, get a season started." The White House’s "intent to distribute Abbott’s newest rapid tests to Big Ten schools" was "at the heart," according to reports, of President Trump and Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren's phone call regarding college football earlier this week. With this test, a machine can "process one test in about 15 minutes or four to five in an hour" (SI.com, 9/2).
