The FDA paused a Seattle-based COVID-19 testing initiative promoted by billionaire Bill Gates pending additional reviews of the tests' accuracy, according to The New York Times.
The Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network announced on its website May 14 that the FDA has ordered it to pause testing after the agency clarified requirements for at-home COVID-19 testing. The program had been sending testing kits to the local residents' homes and found dozens of cases that had been previously undiagnosed.
"The FDA has not raised any concerns regarding the safety and accuracy of SCAN's test, but we have been asked to pause testing until we receive that additional authorization," SCAN wrote on its website.
The pause highlights the disconnect between federal officials proposing guidelines and leaving much of diagnostic testing efforts to localities.