Trump administration supplying Alabama with more than one million rapid-result COVID tests

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Tuesday announced that the Trump administration has begun distributing millions of easy-to-use, rapid-result COVID-19 tests directly to state governments across the country, including Alabama.

These Abbott BinaxNOW tests deliver results in 15 minutes; they are the only FDA-authorized antigen rapid point-of-care tests that do not require an instrument.

Governor Kay Ivey’s office said that Alabama is being supplied with “over 1 million” of the BinaxNOW tests by the federal government.

Ivey applauded President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for their leadership in this effort. This comes after the Trump administration last month purchased 150 million of the tests to ensure states could quickly and equitably receive them immediately following FDA approval.

The president and his administration undertook this endeavor to support states in their plans to reopen their economies, including returning students to classrooms. The effort has stressed protecting the most vulnerable among us, including the underserved, those with preexisting conditions and the elderly.

“This distribution of tens of millions of rapid tests is the fruit of President Trump’s effective national testing strategy, which draws on the best of the public and private sectors,” stated HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “Coordination among FDA, private test developers, federal public health leaders, and state leadership has allowed us to build the world’s largest and most effective testing system, supplying the right tests for the right circumstances.”

According to the governor’s office, the Alabama Department of Public Health will receive BinaxNOW shipments in phases from the federal government over the next few months. The initial shipment will reportedly include approximately 96,000 tests.

“Before we knew much about this novel virus and before we had our first confirmed case in Alabama, President Trump and his Administration have been diligent in providing any additional resources that we needed in our state,” Ivey said in a statement.

“These rapid response tests are going to be a welcome resource as we work to get our students back in the classroom and Alabamians back to work,” she continued. “As we anticipate a successful vaccine in the near future, providing Alabamians – especially our students and vulnerable citizens – with this free resource will be another critical tool in the toolbox to combat COVID-19.”

Tuesday’s announcement comes after Yellowhammer News last week reported that at least two Alabama HBCUs have been sent BinaxNOW tests directly from the Trump administration as part of this same effort.