In the News
California to Offer Affordable Rapid COVID Tests to School Districts Returning to Campus
A virtual meeting led by State Superintendent of Instruction Tony Thurmond discussed PHI’s Safely Opening Schools pilot, which uses on-site, rapid COVID-19 screening to aid school reopening efforts in California. The pilot and availability of testing for school districts was covered by the Sacramento Bee, ABC-TV Fresno and other media outlets.
- Sacramento Bee
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California is offering affordable rapid COVID-19 testing to school employees and students returning to campuses in an effort to help prevent the spread of the virus.
The BinaxNow tests will be available to school districts and will provide results in 15 minutes, according to the California Department of Education, which is working to identify school districts that are interested in testing students.
The antigen testing will cost $5 per student, more affordable than tests previously used by school districts. Schools can use CARES Act funds, but the state indicated it is trying to offer the testing free to schools in the future.
On a virtual meeting led by State Superintendent of Instruction Tony Thurmond, officials shared a video showing elementary aged children swabbing the inside of both of their nostrils and handing the swabbing stick to a school employee.
“I strongly believe that while we wait for a full vaccine rollout, we also need to be moving toward a strategy for the deployment of rapid COVID testing that is cost-effective for schools,” Thurmond said. “This is one tool in our tool box — but an important one. Rapid COVID testing is a game changer. With mounting data that students are suffering from mental health issues and learning disruptions, rapid testing is a real help for districts looking for ways to get students safely back into classrooms.”
Click the image below to watch the Fresno ABC30 news story.
Click below to read the full story in the Sacramento Bee.
Originally published by Sacramento Bee
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