Tennessee received its first waves of rapid result COVID-19 tests. Here's how they will be used

Tennessee has received its first two waves of rapid-result coronavirus tests from the federal government and is working to deploy them across the state, according to state Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey. 

“That’s really good news and we are finalizing our distribution plan right now," Piercey said in a briefing last week. "We are already deploying some of those to our historically black colleges and universities — or HBCUs — as well as some of our long-term care facilities and working with several other partners to get that distribution and those logistics nailed down.”

The state received more than 365,000 BinaxNOW tests so far, TDH spokesperson Bill Christian said in an email on Wednesday. The tests, created by Abbott Laboratories, yield results in 15 minutes. 

"There is limited clinical data on how the BinaxNOW test performs at this time," Christian said. "How they are used may depend on the specific setting." 

According to information provided by the Food and Drug Administration, if a person is showing symptoms, the tests are 97.1% accurate in determining if a person is positive for the coronavirus, and 98.5% accurate in determining if they are negative.

It is not yet known how accurate the tests are when used on people without symptoms. 

Piercey said it was important to note that most people who test positive for COVID-19 from a rapid test — also known as an antigen test — will also take a PCR test, which she called "the gold standard," to confirm the results.

A total of 150 million tests are slated to be sent out nationwide, and federal health officials say about half of the nation’s daily testing capacity now consists of rapid tests.

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'We’re trying to do all we can'

Meharry Medical College in Nashville is among the HBCUs in the state set to receive a shipment of BinaxNOW tests soon, as efforts ramp up to expand testing in communities of color. 

The tests will be used on staff and students, Dr. Duane Smoot, Interim Senior Vice President for Health Affairs at Meharry, told the Tennessean. He said the rapid tests will help confirm or rule out COVID-19 for those who are showing symptoms. 

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Smoot said he hopes to see more data emerge about how BinaxNOW tests and other rapid tests detect the virus in people without symptoms. 

“That’s the other piece, identifying those that are asymptomatic because that’s the concern, that you’re actually spreading it before you become symptomatic," Smoot said. 

A person can be infected with the virus but show no symptoms from two to 14 days. 

Smoot said the team at Meharry is working to care for not only for its staff and students, but also the community around it. 

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“As part of the community, we’re wanting to help and do our part in keeping people safe and healthy, and also because this is disproportionally affecting minorities and African-Americans," Smoot said. "We’re trying to do all we can to get into the community."

He said that, in addition to helping the city staff its three testing sites, Meharry has also created pop-up testing sites each Saturday at different churches this month. 

Those pop-up sites will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the following locations: 

•  Oct. 24 at Riverside Chapel Seventh-day Adventist Church (800 Youngs Lane)
•  Oct. 31 at Temple Baptist Church (3810 Kings Lane)

USA Today and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Find reporter Rachel Wegner at rawegner@tennessean.com or on Twitter @rachelannwegne