White House Announces Expanded COVID-19 Testing, Manufacturing And Virus Sequencing

The Biden administration announced on Wednesday a range of initiatives to expand testing capacity in the U.S. A COVID-19 testing site in Seattle is seen here on Saturday.

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The White House plans to increase testing capacity in the U.S. through multiple channels, officials said in a media briefing on Wednesday.

The administration says it will spend $650 million to expand testing for K-8 schools and settings where people congregate such as homeless shelters, via new “hubs” created by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense. Regional coordinating centers will work to increase testing capacity, partnering with labs and universities to collect specimens, perform tests and report results to public health agencies.

The plan could mean an additional 25 million tests per month, and it’s intended to aid President Biden’s effort to open schools for in-person learning.