Shares of Chembio Diagnostics Inc. CEMI, +62.55% skyrocketed 63.8% on record volume in afternoon trading Monday, to pace all gainers listed on major U.S. exchanges, in the wake of the point-of-care diagnostics company’s announcement of the commercial launch of its rapid COVID-19/flu test. The stock was on track for the biggest one-day percentage gain since it doubled, on March 12, 2004. Trading volume ballooned to 206.6 million shares, compared with the full-day average of less than 1 million shares. The company said its test has been granted emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration. Chembio said after Thursday’s closing bell that the product, which produces results in 15 minutes, requires no instrumentation and simultaneously differentiates SARS-CoV-2 antigens and influenza Type A and Type B infections, is immediately available for shipment. “As COVID-19 converges with the flu, it is critical for physicians to be able to quickly differentiate between these viruses at the point-of-care, which present with nearly identical symptoms, in order to take appropriate clinical actions and maximize efficient use of healthcare resources,” said Charles Caso, vice president of sales and marketing at Chembio. The stock has run up 21.4% year to date, while the S&P 500 SPX, +1.44% has gained 8.6%.
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