Rhode Island Donates 200,000 Covid-19 Tests to India

Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, director of Rhode Island state Department of Health. (health.ri.gov photo)

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island — With the coronavirus apparently on the run in Rhode Island, the state is sending help to other areas of the world still battling the disease, officials said June 7.

Care New England’s COVID-19 Crisis Relief Effort and the Rhode Island Department of Health recently sent 200,000 COVID-19 tests to India, along with protective equipment, ventilators, medications and other medical supplies to be distributed to hospitals around Delhi.

“India’s hospitals and laboratories have been stretched to their limit as case counts in the nation reach an all-time high,” Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, director of the state Department of Health, said in a statement.

The BinaxNOW rapid antigen tests can help health care professionals quickly identify positive COVID-19 cases and put them into isolation, she said. The test does not need to be sent to a lab and provides results in 15 minutes.

The tests were part of Rhode Island’s allotment from the federal government, and the state has enough remaining to sustain current testing volume.