Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves joined President Donald Trump today at the White House to announce testing availability for K-12 teachers.
The Trump Administration is providing maximum flexibility so that rapid point-of-care tests can be administered where they are needed the most.
“This is a game-changer … What this allocation is going to allow for us is, we will have testing available for our K-12 teachers every single day going forward,” Reeves said.
Mississippi Governor @tatereeves: "This is a game-changer … What this allocation is going to allow for us is, we will have testing available for our K-12 teachers every single day going forward." pic.twitter.com/JcF1VjCRoq
— The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) September 28, 2020
The Federal government purchased these Abbott BinaxNOW diagnostic tests on August 27, 2020, to ensure equitable distribution of the first 150 million units – one day after an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) was issued by the FDA to ensure they would be expeditiously distributed to vulnerable populations as quickly as possible. Significantly, the nation’s governors will not have to compete for the initial BinaxNOW shipments, or take time to set up purchasing contracts.
“The Trump Administration has successfully prioritized scaling up point-of-care testing through deregulatory actions and strategic investments to facilitate the continued re-opening of our schools, businesses and overall national economy,” said Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett Giroir, M.D. “The fact that point-of-care rapid tests now account for over half of the available tests on the open market is a major achievement. The tests are simple to use and cost effective. Distributing BinaxNOW tests nationally will advance the testing needs of congregate living facilities, K-12 schools, critical infrastructure, and the other institutions critical to reopening America.”
