US to Invest Another $1 Billion in Rapid COVID-19 Tests

A used coronavirus disease (COVID-19) rapid test with negative result is pictured during pandemic lockdown, in Berlin, Germany, on March 31, 2021. Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters

The U.S. government is committing to purchase an additional 180 million rapid COVID-19 tests for $1 billion, adding to the $2 billion test buying plan it announced in September, a top U.S. health official said on Wednesday.

The combined purchases will help quadruple the United States’ test output by December to around 200 million tests per month, Jeff Zients, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said during a press call.