HHS, CDC to award $11B for COVID-19 testing

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is awarding $11 billion in funding to support COVID-19 testing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will provide $10.25 billion to states, territories, and local jurisdictions through its Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases (ELC) cooperative agreement. Also, the Indian Health Service (IHS) will provide $750 million to IHS, tribal, and urban Indian Health programs to expand testing capacity.

This funding comes from the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. It will be used to purchase, administer, process, and analyze COVID-19 tests. It will also go toward surveillance, contact tracing, and other related activities.

“For the sake of all Americans’ health and well-being, we must help Americans get safely back to work and school, and that requires continued expansion of testing, surveillance, and contact tracing,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said.

Officials from each state, locality, territory, tribe, or tribal organization receiving funds shall submit to HHS its plan for COVID-19 testing, including goals for the remainder of 2020. The plan should include the number of tests needed, month-by-month estimates of laboratory and testing capacity, and a description of how the resources will be used for testing.

“As the Nation cautiously begins the phased approach to reopening, this considerable investment in expanding both testing and contact tracing capacity for states, localities, territories, and tribal communities is essential,” CDC Director Robert Redfield said. “Readily accessible testing is a critical component of a four-pronged public health strategy – including rigorous contact tracing, isolation of confirmed cases, and quarantine. As communities move toward a blended mitigation and containment strategy, I encourage all Americans to continue to embrace powerful public health measures – social distancing, hand washing, and face coverings. We are not defenseless in the battle against this pandemic.”

IHS Director Rear Adm. Michael Weahkee added that testing is critical to the nation’s public health response to defeat this pandemic.