State governments are distributing Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 tests to numerous types of institutions, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which purchased the tests, said in a press release.
Of the states that have provided preliminary reports, use of the BinaxNOW allocations are largely being deployed to local health departments, K-12 schools and universities, nursing homes, hospitals and correctional facilities, HHS said.
Other states, however, have additional priorities. For example, Alaska is sending tests to oil drilling sites; Mississippi and other states to veterans’ homes; Nevada to tribal health clinics; and Colorado to local public health agencies to test homeless populations.
HHS purchased 150 million Abbott BinaxNOW rapid tests from Abbott in August. Of that total, 100 million are being shipped on an ongoing, weekly basis to governors, while 50 million tests are being shipped directly to congregate care settings such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health and hospice providers, the Indian Health Service, and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
