USA to Invest $50 Billion in Coronavirus Testing

As part of the US National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness, President Biden announced on February 17, 2021, a series of new actions to expand COVID-19 testing and improve the availability of tests and better prepare for the threat of coronavirus variants.

The American Rescue Plan will invest $50 billion to expand and support testing, including in priority settings like schools and shelters, and invest in U.S. testing capacity so that public health officials can track the coronavirus in real-time and Americans can efficiently get results.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the USA has been a global diagnostic testing leader.

On February 18th, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported about 318 million RT-PCR diagnostic tests, excluding antibody and antigen tests, have been performed to confirm SARS-CoV-2 virus infections.

As of February 16, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had authorized 331 coronavirus diagnostic tests, including 247 molecular tests, 70 antibody tests, and 14 antigen tests during the COVID-19 pandemic.