Chicago clinic can test for COVID-19 in as little as 5 minutes

CHICAGO - One of those quick COVID-19 testing sites is right here in Illinois.

An urgent care in Chicago is now using the rapid COVID-19 test from Abbott Labs, which gives results in minutes instead of days.

“They can know immediately whether they're positive or negative and for healthcare workers and first responders, that's a complete game changer. They can get right back to work,” said Dr. Warren Wollin of Physicians Immediate Care.

Physicians Immediate Care is the first urgent care clinic in Illinois to rollout Abbott’s rapid COVID-19 test.

Doctor Wollin says he was elated when he learned they could finally test for this dangerous virus, getting patients answers quickly.

“It was huge. I mean as a medical professional when your hands are tied and you can't tell somebody if they're sick or not, you feel helpless sometimes so it's a game changer,” he said.

The numbers of these tests are very limited, so physicians’ immediate care will first use them for healthcare workers, first responders and seniors with symptoms.

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