New test for COVID-19 costs just $20, gets results in 10 minutes

MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee company has built a unique way for you to get a COVID-19 test. 

"This product could be a game-changer on several different fronts," said Hank Kohl of MPE Incorporated.

COVID-19 antibody test by Novir

The coronavirus test of the future will not require sticking something up your nose. Instead, get ready to feel a stick.

"Currently, we're addressing COVID with inexpensive, rapid, tests such as these ones," said Alexander Kempe of Novir.

COVID-19 antibody test by Novir

It looks like a pregnancy test. But instead, it detects COVID antibodies in your blood.

"The testing strategy that has been deployed so far has been driven from the lab," Kempe said.

RELATED: Coronavirus in Wisconsin

Designed by a company called Novir, the new test is being built by a Milwaukee-based manufacturer called MPE Incorporated. On Wednesday, Sept. 2, roughly 130 employees were getting their fingers pricked to see if they are clear to work.

COVID-19 antibody test by Novir

"We are able to bring that manufacturing process into what we already had existing, and rapidly deploy," Kohl said.

In order to take a standard COVID test, you drive to a clinic, get the test done, wait a couple of days, and it can ultimately end up costing a lot of money. This new COVID test costs $20 dollars at retail, and it only takes ten minutes to get you your results.

"This can be used in the home, only a few months from now, and we're working on trying to get that through," Kempe said.

While it will be a few months before Novir is approved for use at home, it has been cleared for use at work. Learn more about Novir by CLICKING HERE.