23 Jul, 2021 COVID-19 testing in the US declines in H1, says GlobalData
Posted in Medical DevicesFollowing the release of Q2 2021 financials from Abbott;
Dara Lo, Medical Devices Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers her view:
“GlobalData has observed a significant decline in the first half of the year in COVID-19 testing in US hospitals for both nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) and rapid tests such as COVID-19 rapid antigen tests. While it’s possible that COVID-19 testing may have shifted more to the at-home, over-the-counter tests, which do not require a prescription, the decline in COVID-19 testing is in-line with Abbott’s financial announcements where the firm continues to see lower COVID-19 testing volumes in the US for both NAATs and rapid testing.
“GlobalData reports Abbott as the leading market player in the US for COVID-19 tests.
“The initial success of the vaccine roll out in the US saw a significant decline in COVID-19 cases; it follows that COVID-19 testing volumes would also decline. However, with those in the US fully vaccinated staying steady around 50% and the delta variant has become the dominant COVID-19 strain in the US, GlobalData says that widespread testing remains an absolute necessity and that COVID-19 testing volumes may grow once again.”