The United States has been pushing to efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in the country with its primary area of focus being the mass vaccination drive, however, the recent move has paid attention to eliminating the potential hurdles in getting a test. 

The federal authorities approved the usage of two additional over-the-counter tests to increase the accessibility of easy tests. The move to increase testing in the country has been urged by multiple health officials and experts. 

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a regulatory body of the US, approved the tests, which are manufactured by pharmaceutical companies Quidel and Abbott, and will be permitted for sale without any prescriptions. 

The rapid tests, which can produce a result within 10-20 minutes, will need the user to insert a cotton swab in the nasal cavity in order to collect a sample, which will later be inserted into a testing strip. The tests have been approved for everyone over the age of two. 

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According to a tracker maintained by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States has vaccinated around 154 million residents as of Thursday while recording a total of 549,098 COVID-19 related deaths. 

The US currently has three vaccinations in circulation including Pfizer, Moderna and the single-shot Johnson & Johnson.