The covidSHIELD saliva testing system developed at U of I, and now being used by other universities and institutions throughout the state, will get a big financial boost to get the tests into middle schools and high schools.
Governor Pritker’s health team is dedicating $225 million for this purpose, which will allow school districts to use the testing systems for free. From Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike:
“For in-person learning to occur, we need to help make schools as safe as possible for students, teachers, and staff. To help prevent an outbreak, it is important to identify cases of COVID-19 as quickly as possible. Having testing readily available in schools can make it easier for more students to be tested and cases identified quicker. Testing, along with vaccination and masking, will help all of Illinois get back to in-person learning.”
Read more about the initiative in this article from the Chicago Sun-Times.
Top photo from Shield Illinois Facebook page.