U.S. Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett Giroir announced on Tuesday that the government will ship rapid coronavirus tests to assisted living communities, ahead of senior day care communities and home health agencies, reports the Associated Press. The tests will come from an inventory of 150 million ordered from Abbott Laboratories. The procedure is the first that does not need specialty computer equipment to process, delivering results in about 15 minutes and only costing $5. “The distribution plan will make sure there are enough tests in the system so that these individuals can get tested roughly along the same lines as [people in] the nursing homes,” Giroir promised. “We are expanding from the highest risk to the next risk.” The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living welcomed the move as “a positive step in the right direction,” although issues concerning resupplying tests must be addressed. Giroir expects the tests to circulate in two to three weeks, with the Defense Department overseeing their delivery to more than 20,000 assisted living communities.

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