Governors John Bel Edwards (LA), Larry Hogan (MD), Charlie Baker (MA), Gretchen Whitmer (MI), Mike DeWine (OH), and Ralph Northam (VA) announced a major bipartisan interstate compact with the Rockefeller Foundation to expand the use of rapid point-of-care antigen tests to slow the spread of COVID-19 and continue safely reopening the states.
As the nation continues to face severe testing shortages and delays, this is the first interstate testing compact of its kind among governors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Hogan, in his final days as chair of the National Governors Association, negotiated the compact with the Rockefeller Foundation. The initial agreement includes six governors—three Republicans and three Democrats—and additional states, cities, and local governments may join the compact in the coming days and weeks.
By banding together, the states are demonstrating to private manufacturers that there is significant demand to scale up the production of these tests, which deliver results in 15-20 minutes. With today’s agreement, the states are in discussions with Becton Dickinson and Quidel—the U.S. manufacturers of antigen tests that have already been authorized by the FDA—to purchase 500,000 tests per state, for a total of three million tests. Read more