A group of governors led by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) is working together to secure a deal for millions of SARS-CoV-2 antigen tests in a bid to create the first coordinated testing strategy in the United States, reports CNN.
Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, chairman of the National Governors Association, negotiated the deal with the Rockefeller Foundation in “the first interstate testing compact of its kind among governors during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hogan’s office said in a statement Tuesday. The 3.5 million faster-acting tests would be a significant haul as many states face surging virus caseloads and a subsequent uptick in testing delays.
In terms of logistics, the involved states “are in discussions” with Becton Dickinson and Quidel — the US manufacturers of antigen tests [authorized] by the Food and Drug Administration — “to purchase 500,000 tests per state,” according to the release. The Rockefeller Foundation “stands ready to assist in facilitating financing mechanisms to support” the compact.
Read the full story on CNN.
Featured image: Testing for the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 (shown here in an electron microscopy image), can help scientists trace the pathogen’s spread and stop the chain of transmission. Courtesy National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH.
