Arizonans will soon have access to millions of rapid COVID-19 tests that would tell them if they’re infected within minutes.
President Donald Trump and Gov. Doug Ducey said that Arizona would receive 2.19 million of the more than 150 million Abbot rapid point-of-care tests purchased starting next week. Roughly 100 million would be distributed between the states.
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The federal government ordered the tests for $750 million just a day after the Food and Drug Administration gave Abbot’s devices their regulatory blessing.
“We’ve marshaled America’s resources to achieve these unparalleled capabilities,” Trump said Monday in the Rose Garden.
Of those tests en route to Arizona, many will be distributed to vulnerable communities in congregate care settings as well as K-12 schools. It’s not clear if the Navajo Nation would receive a separate delivery of tests but the Trump administration did deliver 1,000 Abbott rapid-result tests to the nation in May.
“Arizona is grateful to President Trump for his continued partnership during this pandemic and for once again prioritizing our state,” Ducey said. “These new FDA-approved rapid tests will allow us to quickly identify cases and prevent outbreaks among our most vulnerable citizens. Combined with the PPE, ventilators and health care workers the White House has provided to Arizona, these tests will go a long way in making sure we are able to continue to safely keep Arizona’s economy open.”
The new BinaxNOW Ag CARD tests don’t need a laboratory to process, making response much faster. They’re administered nasally but don’t require a deep nasal swab, rather just a handful of swirls around the inside of the nose. It detects both viable and non-viable COVID-19 antigen. The FDA finds the cards detect positive results correctly 97.1% of the time and negative results 98.5% of the time. The cards must be kept in temperatures no warmer than 86 degrees Fahrenheit, of note when delivering to southern climates like Arizona.
Since March, more than 1.4 million diagnostic tests have been completed in Arizona, as well as more than 290,000 serology tests.
