There’s no national testing strategy for coronavirus. Seven states banded together to make one.

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There’s no national testing strategy for coronavirus. Seven states banded together to make one.

Wed, 2020-08-05 09:09 — mike kraft

There’s no national testing strategy for coronavirus. These states banded together to make one. Seven states formed a purchasing compact, hoping to pressure rapid-testing companies to quickly scale up supply. Erin Cox Washington Post

In the absence of a national testing strategy for the novel coronavirus pandemic, seven governors have formed a first-of-its-kind purchasing compact they hope will pressure companies that make rapid-detection tests to quickly ramp up production.

The governors, three Republicans and four Democrats, say that other states and cities may join them and that talks have already begun with one of the two companies approved by the Food and Drug Administration to sell point-of-care antigen tests that can detect the virus in less than 30 minutes.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) negotiated the deal during the final days of his tenure as chair of the National Governors Association. His office said the Rockefeller Foundation is willing to act as the financing entity if needed.

Each state — Virginia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina and Ohio, in addition to Maryland — would request 500,000 rapid tests, for a total of 3.5 million that could be deployed to address outbreaks.

Having access to that many rapid tests would reduce the need for states to rely on traditional testing infrastructure, which primarily involves private labs that have been beset by long delays.

“With severe shortages and delays in testing and the federal administration attempting to cut funding for testing, the states are banding together to acquire millions of faster tests to help save lives and slow the spread of COVID-19,” Hogan said in a statement. “We will be working to bring additional states, cities, and local governments on board as this initiative moves forward.”

Long delays in getting test results hobble coronavirus response

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D), a physician by training, said in a statement that the states involved in the compact are “leading America’s national response to COVID-19.”

“We are bringing together this bipartisan, multistate coalition to combine our purchasing power and get rapid testing supplies to our communities as quickly as possible,” Northam said. “The people in our ... states want to see action, and we’re delivering.”

President Trump delegated responsibility for building a testing system to states, which developed a patchwork system — more robust in some places than others. He has declined to use the Defense Production Act to encourage development and production of rapid tests....

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