JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri officials started shipping thousands of antigen test kits to public and private schools across the state on Monday.
According to a release from Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, nearly 330 districts/schools applied to participate in Missouri’s BinaxNOW Antigen Testing Program for K-12 institutions, requesting a total of nearly 583,000 test kits for use among symptomatic students and school personnel.
The nasal swab tests are minimally invasive and must be given by a health professional such as a school nurse. It takes results about 15 minutes to come in.
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said the schools will perform the rapid tests onsite, after receiving the appropriate consent from the staff member or the student’s parent/guardian.
“The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) continues to work hard to make any and all resources available to school leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven. “We believe these rapid antigen tests, in conjunction with other mitigation strategies, could be instrumental in helping schools provide onsite learning opportunities safely. We appreciate colleagues at DHSS and the State Emergency Management Agency for working quickly with our team on this important initiative.”
Schools that applied will get the number of test kits requested - up to one test per student and staff member - in incremental shipments over the coming months, according to officials.
In the state’s current inventory, there are approximately 240,000 test kits available to distribute to K-12 schools that have provided the required assurances and documentation.
Missouri is expected to receive a total of 1.84 million Abbott BinaxNOW antigen test kits.
