The Show on KJZZ

Listen live weekdays at 9 a.m.

Funds And Options For Testing Available As Arizona Schools Reopen Amid Delta Surge

By Nicholas Gerbis
Published: Monday, August 2, 2021 - 2:13pm
Updated: Monday, August 2, 2021 - 3:14pm

Even as delta surges, Arizona law requires schools to resume in-person classes and bars them from mandating masks or vaccinations.

But there is some good news, says Will Humble of the Arizona Public Health Association: The Biden administration has allocated $129 million to the state health department for COVID-19 vaccine testing in schools.

And a rapid test called BinaxNOW can help track and stop spread.

"You can collect the sample and get an immediate answer right then and there. And so, you can make a decision about where to send a student home or not right away," said Humble. 

The 15-minute test has received Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It requires parental permission and involves two tests within three days, 36 or more hours apart.

Coronavirus Education Science