SC health officials have sent rapid covid-19 test equipment to Lexington Medical Center.
The Abbott ID NOW covid-19 rapid-response test recently received emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.
The rapid-test devices can provide covid-19 specimen results in 15 to 20 minutes.

The devices use the same type nose swab as the traditional tests. 
A health care provider collects the patient’s specimen, enters the specimen into the device and results are provided in 15-20 minutes..

The hospital has a limited number so the tests are given to patients with specific criteria, Lexington Medical Center spokesperson Jennifer Wilson said..

South Carolina received 15 devices from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Department of Health & Environmental Control officials deployed the devices and a limited amount of testing supplies to 15 health care centers across the state .

“This specialized technology will help us increase testing for those who are most susceptible to this disease and who live in areas of our state where access to testing isn’t easily accessible,” said Dr. Joan Duwve, DHEC’s Director of Public Health. 
DHEC considered several factors in determining where to send these initial rapid-test devices.

These included regions with high numbers of positive cases, rates above the state average for underlying conditions like diabetes, hypertension and chronic diseases and a facility’s capacity to use the machines to expand testing to rural communities.