Millions of rapid test kits for the coronavirus will soon be on their way to the neediest Floridians - courtesy of the federal government. The announcement came from Gov. Ron DeSantis Tuesday at BayCare Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater.
The state will get 6.5 million rapid coronavirus test kits, DeSantis said. First on the list for distribution will be high-risk nursing homes, long-term care facilities and hospitals. DeSantis said the tests are part of the 150 million kits purchased by the federal government.
The kits can produce results after only 15 minutes, he said.
"All the stuff is right there," DeSantis said. "So if a senior center were to get a couple of these, they pretty much don't need anything else than what's already in the box, locked and loaded, ready to go."
DeSantis says the next priority for distribution would be schools.
"What we're going to be doing is not just nursing homes, not just long-term care facilities," he said. "But we are going to have priority for any senior center, any retirement community."
He expects about 400,000 tests to be done per week.
