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January 12, 2022 – The Biden administration announced on Wednesday that 10 million more tests for COVID-19 will go to schools each month in an attempt to reduce the spread of the virus and extend private lessons.
About 5 million free rapid tests and 5 million free PCR tests will go to schools each month.
“These additional tests will help schools stay open safely and implement screening tests and stay test programs,” the White House said in a statement.
“With an additional ten million tests per month, we will provide schools with more than twice the volume of tests conducted in schools across the country in November 2021,” the statement said.
For the free rapid tests, the CDC will work with states to apply for “high-need school areas that can use these tests immediately,” according to the statement. Once countries submit their applications, the first shipments will be delivered later this month.
For the free PCR tests, the US Department of Health and Human Services will deliver test materials, supplies and laboratory results through four regional laboratory centers. Schools can access the free lab test immediately, the statement said.
The Ministry of Health and Human Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will also set up test sites in “the most affected and at-risk communities,” according to the statement. The CDC will work with the U.S. Department of Education to connect school districts with test providers in their state to set up testing in schools.
The announcement comes as cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations reach record levels across the country. Public health experts have called for expanded tests for COVID-19 in schools to reach more than 50 million American K-12 students, according to CNN. The CDC recommends screening at least once a week when community transmission reaches moderate levels.
This week, some cities and school districts have taken action to slow the spread of the Omicron option. Several areas in the Atlanta area are slowing personal hours and starting the year with distance learning, CNN reported.
In Washington, D.C., public school students and staff must show evidence of negative COVID-19 tests before returning to the classroom, according to the newspaper. . In New York, public school students who take a positive test will receive one-week tests at home to know when to return to school.
Last month, the CDC published data on the “stay test” programs, which allow students to stay in classrooms during the quarantine period, as long as they wear masks and test at least twice in the 7 days after exposure to COVID-19. . Later this week, the CDC will give schools more information on how to start a stay test program, the White House said in a statement.
“We know how to keep students and staff safe at school – including through vaccinations and boosters, applying universal indoor masking, maintaining physical distance, improving ventilation and conducting screening tests for COVID-19,” the statement said.
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