(Reuters) – The U.S. government will send over 7 million of Abbott Laboratories’ BinaxNOW rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 to states, hospice providers, and for other uses this week, a top administration official said at a press briefing on Monday.
In addition to the more than 7 million tests being distributed, the agency will have 820,000 tests remaining for any unanticipated emergency testing demands that could arise as COVID-19 cases spike around the country.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will push the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to review COVID-19 tests developed by universities, said Admiral Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
(This story corrects number of tests and uses in headline and first two paragraphs)
(Reporting by Manojna Maddipatla in Bengaluru; and Rebecca Spalding, Editing by Franklin Paul)
