HHS: Nursing homes on track to conduct more than 806,000 COVID-19 tests in coming weeks

Nursing homes will be able to conduct more than 806,000 COVID-19 tests in coming weeks as a result of new point-of-care devices provided by the government, Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Health Brett Giroir said recently.

HHS delivered 654 point-of-care testing machines to more than 600 nursing homes last week. It plans to send the instruments to another 1,790 nursing homes over the next two to three weeks.

“By putting point-of-care in nursing homes, we not only improve turnaround and protect our vulnerable there, but we offload a lot of the demand [from] the major laboratories,” Giroir said during a press conference last week, InsideHealthPolicy reported.

Thanks to the point-of-care devices, along with pooled tests and a machine that can test for both coronavirus and the flu, the United States will be able to 

conduct 100 million COVID-19 tests by September, Giroir predicted.