Doctor and senior woman wearing facemasks during coronavirus and flu outbreak. Virus protection. COVID-2019..

President Joe Biden’s administration is allocating an additional $225 million to purchase millions more rapid, point-of-care antigen tests for long-term care facilities. 

The Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday announced the new funding support in an effort to continue COVID-19 screening in long-term care. The announcement awards the funding to HHS and the Department of Defense for the production and delivery of 50 million Abbott BinaxNOW tests for facilities. 

The funding is a part of a $12.25 billion effort by the administration to ramp up testing nationwide, including in schools, workplaces and congregate settings, like nursing homes. 

“COVID-19 testing is critical to saving lives and restoring economic activity,” HHS Acting Secretary Norris Cochran said in a statement. 

“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,” he added. 

Outgoing HHS officials in early January said about 50 billion BinaxNOW tests to nursing homes, assisted living facilities, Native American tribes and Black colleges up until that point.