Antigen tests are a relatively new type of test for COVID-19 that work by scanning for proteins that can be found on or inside a virus.

The FDA has touted the tests as an important tool for combating the pandemic because they can be produced quickly, at relatively low costs, and test patients in a variety of settings…

Becton Dickinson’s test can be used on its existing BD Veritor System platform, which is employed in about 25,000 healthcare facilities across the United States.

The platform is slightly larger than a cellphone and does not need to be operated by specialized laboratory scientists, the company said. Becton Dickinson said it would be able to produce 2 million tests a week by the end of September.