US Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) on Wednesday announced that the State of Hawai‘i will receive $50 million in new federal funding to expand COVID-19 contact tracing and testing.
“I encourage state leaders to move at the speed of the virus and establish a contact tracing program that is fully operational as soon as possible,” Schatz said. “There’s simply not any time left, but there is plenty of money to get this done.”
The new federal funding, which was part of the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act passed by Congress in April, can be used to develop, purchase, administer, process and analyze COVID-19 tests, scale-up laboratory capacity, trace contacts, support employer testing, and support other testing-related activities.
The new funding for COVID-19 testing follows the nearly $4 million announced for Hawai‘i health centers last week, and millions more in financial assistance for health care providers and rural hospitals announced earlier this month.
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