US to send millions of COVID-testing kits to states

▴ US to send millions of COVID-testing kits to states
The U.S. government agreed to purchase 150 million rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 from Abbott in a roughly $750 million deal

The U.S. government will send an "overwhelming majority" of the rapid COVID-19 tests it purchased from Abbott Laboratories last week to governors of states and territories to support school reopenings and other critical tasks, an administration official said at a press briefing.

Other top priorities for the newly purchased tests include daycare centers, first responders, and "critical infrastructure," said Admiral Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The tests will be distributed in collaboration with Abbott beginning in mid-September, Giroir said. Abbott said last week it will ramp up production to around 50 million tests per month by mid-October.

The U.S. government agreed to purchase 150 million rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 from Abbott in a roughly $750 million deal.

The portable tests can deliver results within 15 minutes and will sell for $5. They require no additional equipment and can use a less invasive nasal swab than traditional lab tests.

Antigen tests are cheaper and faster than molecular diagnostic tests, but somewhat more likely to fail to identify positive cases of the virus than lab-based diagnostic tests.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly pushed for schools to reopen, but most of the largest U.S. school districts have said they would start the school year with online classes.

Giroir also said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) still supports testing asymptomatic individuals for COVID-19 who are prioritized by local health officials or in high-risk populations. Last week, the CDC sparked an outcry among many public health officials when it said testing some asymptomatic people may not be necessary.

The United States has conducted 85 million COVID-19 tests so far with a positivity rate of just over 5%, Giroir said. The mean turnaround time is 2.27 days.

Tags : #USA #Abbot #Testingkits #Rapid #Millions #COVID-19

Related Stories

Loading Please wait...
-Advertisements-

Trending Now

China ropes in more countries for its COVID-19 vaccine trialsSeptember 29, 2020
Antarctica is still free of Covid-19. Can it stay that way?September 29, 2020
Over 200 travellers from India barred from Dubai flight over invalid Covid-19 testsSeptember 29, 2020
Netherland focuses on more stricker rule to comabt COVID-19 September 29, 2020
WHO aims to provide 120 Million rapid Coronavirus tests for poorer statesSeptember 29, 2020
UN chief on 1 Million COVID-19 deathsSeptember 29, 2020
Bahrain reports 585 Covid-19 cases, 777 recoveriesSeptember 28, 2020
Bringing hepatitis C testing and treatment to underserved communities in MadridSeptember 28, 2020
Polish doctor recovers from severe COVID-19 through rehabilitationSeptember 28, 2020
WHO supports rehabilitation of COVID-19 and other patients in UkraineSeptember 28, 2020
WHO work with migrant camps in Greece September 28, 2020
US employers being sued for COVID-19 infection spread September 28, 2020
Global Coronavirus deaths cross 1 Million markSeptember 28, 2020
Highly effective antibodies identified, may lead to passive COVID-19 vaccineSeptember 26, 2020
Europe has a lot of work to do to prevent COVID-19 transmission :WHOSeptember 26, 2020
Two million Coronavirus deaths : WHO September 26, 2020
Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine produces strong results September 26, 2020
New York to permanently switch to outdoor dining amid pandemicSeptember 26, 2020
WHO gave blessing for Coronavirus vaccine emergency use programme: ChinaSeptember 26, 2020
US surpasses 7 Million Coronavirus casesSeptember 26, 2020