FDA Office of Minority Health and Health Equity

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Update

FDA is an active partner in the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) response, working closely with our government and public health partners across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and with our international counterparts. Actions by the FDA in our ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic since our last email update include:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates:

• June 9, 2020: Daily Roundup: FDA actions on warning letters regarding fraudulent products, approval of an abbreviated new drug application for a drug to facilitate tracheal intubation, and more
• June 8, 2020: Innovation to Respond to COVID-19 - Includes links to and descriptions of the new partnerships FDA is leading or participating in to respond to COVID-19
• June 8, 2020: COVID-19 Educational Resources - Includes links to all the videos, fact sheets and social media toolkits that FDA has created on COVID-19
• June 7, 2020: FDA Reissues Emergency Use Authorizations Revising Which Types of Respirators Can Be Decontaminated for Reuse
• June 4, 2020: FDA Publicly Shares Antibody Test Performance Data From Kits as Part of Validation Study

An introduction to COVID-19 tests

FDA issued a new video explaining the different categories of tests in the fight against COVID-19: diagnostic tests and antibody tests. As the video explains, diagnostic tests can tell if the tested person currently is infected. Antibody or serology tests detect if the person’s blood contains antibodies to coronavirus.

The body produces antibodies when one becomes infected by the virus, and they help the immune system fight off the infection. If an antibody test finds antibodies in the blood, it likely means the person has been previously infected with the virus. Antibody tests do not detect whether a person is currently infected and should not be used to diagnose a current COVID-19 infection. The results from antibody tests can help us better understand questions about exposure to COVID-19. (June 4, 2020) Learn more in the Consumer Update.

Find additional coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) updates on our website and in the Medical Countermeasures Initiative newsletter.