Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced the state has ordered 250,000 rapid covid-19 tests to conduct mass screenings in nursing homes, reports the Washington Post.
The rapid antigen tests, less sensitive than lab-based diagnostic tests that take hours, are newly approved by federal regulators for broad screenings and can be run on a handheld device. The tests, which Hogan (R) said cost roughly $8 million, are the first purchase from a multistate compact created last month to hasten development of quick-result tests. In the absence of a national testing strategy, 10 states and the Rockefeller Foundation formed a consortium to amplify their buying power and motivate testing companies to ramp up production. Hogan said Maryland expects to receive the first tests within days. He intends to order at least 250,000 more to deploy elsewhere as part of a multipronged testing strategy to slow the novel coronavirus’s spread and reopen more of the economy.
Read the full article at the Washington Post.