Nearly 330 school districts in Missouri have requested rapid-result COVID-19 tests from a shipment by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Nearly 583,000 test kits have been requested for use among symptomatic students and school personnel.

The Trump administration announced Monday it would be sending 1.84 million Abbott BinaxNOW rapid tests to Missouri, to be distributed at the discretion of Governor Mike Parson.

According to Governor Parson any and all resources continue to be made available to school leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rapid antigen tests, in conjunction with other mitigation strategies, could be instrumental in helping schools provide onsite learning opportunities safely.

These minimally invasive nasal swab tests must be administered by a school nurse, and yield results in just 15 minutes. Many districts/schools will perform these rapid tests onsite, after receiving the appropriate consent from the student’s parent/guardian.

Some districts/schools have partnered with their local health department or another medical provider in their community to assist in administering these tests. Positive and negative test results will be reported electronically to the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) within 24 hours.