On May 12, 2020, Thermo Fisher Scientific announced the FDA has further expanded emergency use authorization (EUA) for its multiplex real-time PCR test intended for the qualitative detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

This third expansion further increases the number of high-throughput PCR instruments that labs can use to run tests and also provides new options for reagents and consumables used in sample preparation and extraction to provide greater flexibility in testing workflows.