The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which planned to end support for community-based coronavirus testing sites around the country has stepped back from its decision.
Instead the agency has said that local authorities can choose transitioning to running the programs all by themselves or continue with federal oversight and help.
Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health said that the federal government is not abandoning any community-based test sites. He wanted this to be clear and loud.
The federal government supplies expertise, testing materials, protective equipment and lab contracts to local authorities at 41 sites under the community-based testing site program.
The program has been successful in testing more than 77,000 people, mostly health care worker and first responders said Giroir. He added that results reveal about 20% of those tested were infected with coronavirus.
In suburban Philadelphia, Montgomery County officials mentioned they would have had to close a testing site without federal help.
Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania said that she is extremely relieved that HHS has reversed the decision. Dean and five other Pennsylvania members of Congress, along with Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, requested the Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar with a signed letter to reverse the decision.
Dean said that it was counterintuitive and would have proven to be detrimental to public health to stop the testing here in Montgomery County.
HHS and FEMA had said that the plan had always been to stop extending federal help on April 10. They mentioned the program was designed as a stop-gap arrangement until states, local governments and hospitals could have their own individual testing programs running.
Though many hospitals and other medical facilities do have their own testing sites now, health officials warn there still required to be more testing to stop the coronavirus from spreading.