US Earmarks $33Mln To Expand COVID-19 Testing Of Minority Students - Health Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th April, 2021) The US launched a 2-year program with $33 million in funding for grants to develop COVID-19 testing protocols that would allow a safe return of students to schools during an extended pandemic, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said on Thursday.

"Establishing frequent COVID-19 testing protocols for schools in vulnerable and underserved communities is essential to the safe return to school effort, and these projects will inform decision makers on the best strategies to accomplish this," NIH said in a press release.

The $33 million provided by American Rescue Plan will fund projects at 10 institutions across eight states over the next two years "to build evidence on safely returning students, teachers and support staff to in-person school in areas with vulnerable and underserved populations," the release said.

Some projects will involve at-home COVID-19 testing, while others will use pooled, in-school testing approaches. Participants will receive either molecular or antigen tests, which can detect SARS-CoV-2 infection in samples from nasal swabs or saliva. Researchers will obtain parental consent prior to administering the diagnostic tests to children, the release said.

The release did not explain the rationale for a two-year program, although the research - which will also explore the effectiveness of mitigation measures such as social distancing and face masks in schools - could presumably benefit minority students in future pandemics should the current COVID-19 outbreak end earlier.