The test, developed by BioMérieux subsidiary BioFire Defense, first received Emergency Use Authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration in March.
BioFire's test is designed to detect and differentiate between SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens, while UMass Medical's test is only for SARS-CoV-2.
A handful of recently published trials suggest that use of the pneumonia panel could lead to more targeted therapy delivered more quickly than standard methods.
The New York Times reports that experts say President Joe Biden's goal of vaccinating 1 million people a day in the US in the next 100 days is too low a bar.