For the first time, New York City has introduced a 15-minute diagnostic test for COVID as part of a test and trace pilot program in the Bronx.

The rapid test, which was developed by the pharmaceutical giant Abbott, is the same one used by President Donald Trump and other White House officials. Authorized by the Federal Drug Administration for emergency use in March, the test is said to show a positive COVID-19 result in five minutes and negative result in 13 minutes. Unlike a typical diagnostic test, the sample does not need to be processed in a lab. The instrument used to process specimens is small, about the size of a toaster. Other rapid tests have also been approved by the FDA.

The use of a rapid test was first mentioned last week by Anabel Palma, the city’s equity officer for the program, during a press conference with Mayor Bill de Blasio in which she announced the launch of a hyper-local testing effort in certain virus hotspots, beginning with the Bronx neighborhood of Tremont.

But the Abbott test has been controversial, largely due to a study that showed that it had accuracy issues, specifically with reporting false negatives. The federal government has said it stands behind the test and has continued to ship thousands of tests to local public health agencies across the country.

To address any potential problems, Dr. Jen Rakeman, the head of the New York City Public Health Laboratory, said that all people tested will receive both the rapid test as well as the widely used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic test.

Dr. Rakeman added that while studies have shown the Abbott rapid test can produce false negatives, it has shown to be more accurate when it issues a positive test result, which provides health officials with one distinct advantage.

"It allows us to identify a positive patient right on the spot," she said.

To get the most accurate sample, those being tested must submit to a nasopharyngeal swab, which is inserted deep into the nose to the top of the throat. The process must be done twice since two samples are needed.

Upon testing positive for the rapid test, individuals are immediately referred to the city's Test and Trace Corps officials and offered resources like a hotel for isolation. The deployment of the rapid test comes as intense demands on diagnostic testing have lead to longer than normal turnaround times for results that threaten to undermine the city's tracing program.

Referencing those delays, Mayor de Blasio on Monday urged the federal government to step in. "Because it's now becoming a national crisis," he said. "If you can't get the results in real time, it doesn't help you enough."

The pilot initiative using the rapid test started last Wednesday. It will aim to reach at least 2,500 people in Tremont who have traditionally been underserved by health providers. Depending on the pilot, the program could be expanded into other neighborhoods.

Dr. Torian Easterling, the Deputy Commissioner of the Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness, said the city specifically selected the zip code area based on city data showing how many residents had been tested and the percentage of positive cases. Testing sites are spread across the neighborhood and include mobile as well as traditional clinics.

"We intentionally positioned these testing sites to saturate the zip code," Dr. Easterling said.

Public health officials, led by the city health commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot, plan to tour one of the pop-up clinics on Tuesday.

Under a $10 million grant program, the city is also enlisting community organizations to help perform outreach and overcome longtime public health barriers.

"There are certainly historical factors at play, of feeling welcome and not feeling discriminated," he said. "This is a New York problem. How do we take care of our communities."