
(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A new, rapid-result COVID-19 test will be manufactured in the northern suburbs.
The test from Abbott Labs has received approval from the FDA for emergency use.
It still uses the nasal swab, but results are available in 15 minutes without being sent to a lab. The test is the size of a credit card and costs just $5.
Abbott wants to manufacture 50 million tests per month by October. To do that, it is building a manufacturing facility along the Tri-State Tollway in Gurnee.
Abbott is hiring 2,000 temporary workers to make the tests. Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovaric says employees will pump more money into the local economy.
"It really does become the lifeblood for keeping our retail corridor vibrant. You need employees during the day that are going to eat, shop. It really is a huge boon to the local economy for us," Kovaric said.
She adds the COVID test manufacturing center is a point of civic pride.
"We're just delighted Abbott selected us and to be part of the solution for this global pandemic. It makes me very proud," the mayor said.
Rapid testing is seen as key to controling spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.
In Illinois, the state's Department of Public Health on Thursday reported 1,707 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, including 24 additional confirmed deaths. The statewide positivity rate was 4.1%.