Maryland and Virginia governors have signed a six-state COVID-19 testing agreement to coordinate the purchase of and expand access to rapid point-of-care antigen tests.
The governors announced the bipartisan compact, which was also signed by the governors of Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Ohio, in partnership with Rockefeller Foundation, on Tuesday. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced later in the day the state intends to join the agreement.
“With severe shortages and delays in testing and the federal administration attempting to cut funding for testing, the states are banding together to acquire millions of faster tests to help save lives and slow the spread of COVID-19,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said in a press release.
The agreement will allow states to purchase tests and associated supplies in a “sustainable and cost-effective manner.” It will also help them work together on policies and protocols around rapid COVID-19 testing, which can provide results in as little as 15 to 20 minutes, because samples aren’t sent to labs.
The states are already in talks with two U.S. manufacturers of FDA-approved antigen tests, Becton Dickinson and Quidel, to buy 500,000 tests per state, according to a release. Other states, cities, and local governments may also join.
Antigen tests detect the presence of certain proteins that are part of the virus. Using a nasal or throat swab, the tests can produce results in minutes.
“The states are leading America’s national response to COVID-19,” Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said in the release. “We are bringing together this bipartisan, multi-state coalition to combine our purchasing power and get rapid testing supplies to our communities as quickly as possible. The people in our six states want to see action, and we’re delivering.”
The Rockefeller Foundation, which has long supported public health initiatives, will help provide financial support for the effort.
The announcement comes as much of the D.C. region saw sharp spikes in new cases in July, though the average daily caseload has steadied over the past week. In addition, some local residents have experienced delays in receiving results. Some who were told their test results would take a few days ended up waiting two weeks or more, according to the Washington Post.
While testing capacity in the region has increased overall, some local jurisdictions like Montgomery County have raised concerns about meeting testing needs, in anticipation of a second wave of cases.
The county began providing residents with free at-home COVID-19 tests in late July, targeting its hardest-hit neighborhoods.
The National Institutes of Health announced an effort last month, funded by $1.5 billion in federal funds, to address the backlog in testing by creating and more widely distributing rapid tests. Dr. Brett Giroir, who is overseeing testing in the U.S., said he expected 5 million additional rapid tests in July, with a goal of adding 20 million of more by September, according to NBC News.
However, some doctors have said the country should focus on fixing issues with lab-based tests rather than focusing on rapid tests, which are hard to perfect and have had issues with accuracy.
This story has been updated to include North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s announcement that the state intends to join the agreement.
