SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota House Health and Human Services Finance Division held an informational hearing to discuss Minnesota’s breakthrough strategy to drastically increase COVID-19 testing capacity. The plan allows for up to 20,000 tests daily, and the increased capacity will help health officials control the pandemic and support the safe re-opening of Minnesota’s economy.
“This strategy will help our state address the pandemic and move toward normalcy,” said Rep. Tina Liebling (DFL – Rochester), the division chair. “We need to understand the spread of the virus and how it is progressing so we can effectively isolate those afflicted by COVID-19. This will be possible only by increasing our testing capacity.”
The testing strategy, funded in part by $36 million from the COVID-19 Minnesota Fund provided by the Legislature, is being developed in partnership with Mayo Clinic, the University of Minnesota, and other health care providers in the state. It aims to test all symptomatic people, expand our understanding of how the virus is affecting our population, and effectively fight the disease.
Assistant Commissioner Dan Huff of the Minnesota Department of Health’s Health Protection Bureau presented information about the strategy to the committee. Dr. Bobbi Pritt, co-director of Vector-borne Diseases Laboratory Services at Mayo Clinic, and Dr. Anthony Killeen, Professor and Vice-Chair for Clinical Affairs in the Dept. of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology at the University of Minnesota Medical School, also answered questions for the committee.
Video of the hearing will be available on Minnesota House Public Information Services’ YouTube channel.