Coping with Covid: Kansas to receive more rapid-response COVID-19 tests over next few months

By Madison Parry

Over the next three months, Kansas is expecting to receive around 870,000 more rapid COVID-19 tests from the federal government, this following its first delivery of 57,000 tests and a recently announced new unified testing strategy in the state.

More rapid-response COVID-19 tests are on their way for the state of Kansas, Gov. Laura Kelly announcing on Monday that the state will receive 870,000 COVID-19 tests from the federal government over the next three months.

This shipment will follow a delivery of 57,000 tests the state has already received. The latest large shipment will occur over the next three months.

New tests are planned to help boost testing in potential hotspots, as part of the state’s new unified testing strategy, Kelly said.

“I think it makes even more important — makes clear the importance of — everyone doing their part to stop the spread,” Kelly said Monday. “We’ve been on a plateau now for quite a while…we’re averaging over 500 cases, new cases, per day.”

During Monday’s announcement, Kelly said new tests are crucial for a new statewide policy of more testing of people without virus symptoms in areas with high infection rates.

Kelly along with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment aim to increase routine testing in high-risk areas such as schools, nursing homes and prisons.