As the omicron variant of the coronavirus continues to spread across the U.S., state leaders have ordered millions of COVID-19 rapid tests ahead of the new year.
The state of Connecticut plans to distribute three million at-home COVID-19 rapid tests and 6 million N95 face masks in an effort to protect its residents against the variant.
On Tuesday, Gov. Ned Lamont announced that he is calling up nearly 100 members of the Connecticut National Guard to do so.
BIDEN ADMIN’S PLAN TO DISTRIBUTE 500M COVID TESTS STARTING NEXT MONTH NOT NEARLY ENOUGH, HEALTH EXPERTS SAY
The first allocation to the general public will include the distribution of 500,000 iHealth kits, each containing two tests, with distribution running through next week. Another million iHealth kits will be given to K-12 schools statewide.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has granted emergency use authorization for the iHealth COVID-19 antigen rapid test.
The total cost of the three million tests is approximately $18.5 million, paid for through federal funding.
People line up and receive test kits to detect COVID-19 as they are distributed in New York on Dec. 23, 2021.
(AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)
In addition, the Connecticut Department of Public Health is in the process of adding more testing sites.
“Connecticut is currently experiencing another surge in COVID-19 cases that is being driven mostly by the highly transmissible Omicron variant,” Lamont said in a statement. “As a result, the demand for tests has outpaced the supply of testing available through our statewide network of about 400 sites. The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is likely to be a period of high transmission, and we have to get 2022 off to a good start by helping residents identify COVID-19 quickly and take those steps to isolate appropriately to curb any further spread.”
However, Lamont said in a statement Wednesday that shipping and warehouse delays had held up Connecticut’s anticipated…
Source : foxnews
