US to award Ellume with $232 million to scale up at-home COVID-19 test kits production

To boost
the rate of immunization against coronavirus infection in the country, the US is awarding the
company Ellume USA LLC with nearly $232 million to ramp up the production
of its at-home rapid COVID-19 diagnostic test, said an official on Monday.

“The
$232 million award to Ellume USA LLC would allow it to scale up manufacturing
and produce more than 19 million test kits per month by the end of the year,
8.5 million of which would be guaranteed to the US government.” the White House said.

Ellume’s
coronavirus home test kit, which uses a nasal swab and can be purchased without a prescription, received an emergency use authorization from the US
Food and Drug Administration in December.

“The ability to quickly test, to contact trace and quarantine is a linchpin of our national strategy and will be a vital part of containing the virus and stopping community spread,” the White House COVID-19 advisor Andy Slavitt told a press conference. 

The President’s pandemic team advisor also said that the test through this kit can be carried out by anyone who shows symptoms of COVID-19 and can also be used for screening of those who are asymptomatic.

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The test results given by this COVID-19 diagnosis kit is 95% accurate.

The White House advisor also articulated that nearly 100,000 test kits would be shipped by the company every month to the United States
from February through July.