HHS announces $10 billion to expand coronavirus testing in schools

CNN — The US Department of Health and Human Services is funneling $10 billion to states to help implement coronavirus surveillance testing in K-12 schools across the country, the agency announced Wednesday, as part of the Biden administration’s push to help schools reopen safely for in-person learning. “As part of the Biden administration’s national strategy, HHS will continue to expand our capacity to get testing to the individuals and the places that need it most, so we can prevent transmission of the virus and defeat the pandemic.” White House Covid-19 testing coordinator Carole Johnson said during a Wednesday briefing that HHS’s $10 billion in funding for testing will “add a layer of protection for schools, teachers and students.” “We know that school districts want to reopen. “This funding can be used to test teachers and staff, students and others with symptoms of Covid, those who may have been exposed and to establish sustained, regular screening testing programs across the school system,” Johnson added, saying that the CDC will be working alongside state and local health departments to provide technical assistance as they work to implement the testing programs. Pallotta said in a statement that, with the allocation, “the Biden administration is sending them a clear signal about what it takes to reopen safely.” Weingarten said that, with the funding, “help truly is on the way to aid school systems in implementing a testing system that will help keep students, educators and staff safe inside school buildings.”