New Hampshire to Receive Supplies from US FDA to Conduct 25,000 Rapid Antigen COVID-19 Tests per Week

Concord, NH – The State of New Hampshire will soon be able to conduct an additional 25,000 COVID-19 rapid antigen tests per week as a result of the new shipment of Abbott BinaxNOW Rapid-Antigen COVID-19 tests distributed in the State as part of the US Food and Drug Administration’s effort to increase rapid COVID-19 testing across the nation. These rapid antigen test cards will be placed in community testing sites around the state to support symptomatic individuals that are in need of a quick test, including in-person school settings, frontline healthcare workers, emergency responders and other high-risk populations.
 
“The BINAX test will allow the state to significantly ramp up testing in a targeted fashion — specifically for students and vulnerable populations,” said Governor Chris Sununu.  “The rapid results will make decisions much easier for parents and educators.”
 
The BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Test can be used by laboratories that have Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) certification. The State will distribute these tests to the 20 community testing sites established to support COVID-19 testing in New Hampshire, as well as National Guard drive-through testing locations in Londonderry and Concord. BinaxNOW cards are being placed in these locations because they were established to support individuals who are experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19.
 
“As more and more residents return to school, work and other communal settings, residents experiencing symptoms will have greater access to rapid results to quickly determine whether they have COVID-19,” said Lori Shibinette, Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. “Community transmission of the new coronavirus continues to occur throughout the state and we do not want symptomatic people going to a school or place of work to get a test and potentially exposing others. The BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen tests will be located in our already established community testing locations because they have procedures in place to avoid additional exposures.”
 
“New Hampshire schools have worked hard to get students back to school safely,” said Frank Edelblut, Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Education. “Increased rapid testing will greatly benefit these ongoing efforts, as well as assist schools responding to cases in their communities.”
 
Each BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen testing kit will include a nasal swab and results are available in 15 minutes. It is anticipated that the BinaxNOW tests will be available at community testing locations in the next few weeks. The FDA expects New Hampshire will receive supplies to conduct as many as 400,000 rapid tests by the end of the year.
 
For information on availability of the BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen Test as well as other testing options, please visit: https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/cdcs/covid19/documents/covid-testing-options.pdf.