Harrisburg, Pa. – Today, Michael Huff, Director of Testing and Contact Tracing for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, presented an update on the commonwealth’s COVID-19 testing and contact tracing efforts, including Pennsylvania’s plans to distribute more than 3.8 million Abbott BinaxNOW antigen rapid tests allocated to the state by the federal government.

These tests, which have been arriving in weekly allotments since October and will continue through the end of December, are being used to test and protect vulnerable populations in Pennsylvania counties demonstrating substantial risk for community spread, prioritizing counties with current outbreaks.

“It is a top priority to ensure that all people in Pennsylvania who need a test will have access to one,” Huff said. “We will continue to closely monitor the number of cases in communities across the commonwealth to ensure that testing sites are situated appropriately in areas with the greatest need.”

Pennsylvania’s testing goals are to ensure testing is accessible, available and adaptable to changing community needs. To achieve this, the commonwealth utilizes existing public health infrastructure to implement the COVID-19 prioritized, tiered approach to comprehensive testing throughout Pennsylvania. This public health network covers the entire commonwealth with over 550 contracted sites and over 400 public health sites. As more testing sites become available, they will be added to the commonwealth’s map of testing sites.

As cases of COVID-19 continue to increase in Pennsylvania, it is essential that Pennsylvanians follow mitigation guidelines and take steps to keep themselves and their families safe, including wearing masks, washing hands regularly and staying home if you feel sick.

Read full Press Release HERE