Minnesota Governor Tim Walz requests more funding for COVID-19 tests
(FOX 9) - Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is asking the federal government to increase the state’s access to COVID-19 testing kits, and all the reagents and supplies needed to conduct those tests, to a minimum of 15,000 tests per month. As of Saturday, the state has 21 confirmed cases.
In a letter to Vice President Mike Pence, Walz wrote,"As you know, the ability to test and diagnoses cases of COVID-19 is critical to Minnesota’s response and mitigation of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Minnesota, like other states, is deeply concerned about the availability of the testing kits, in addition to ancillary reagents and lab supplies needed to provide testing. There are a variety of components of a COVID-19 test. Kits alone are not enough; we need all necessary components to successfully test."
This letter was a follow-up to the Governor’s request on a March 12 phone call with the Vice President.
“We have been forced to ration the number of tests performed at our public health lab,” he wrote. “I call upon you to help ensure we appropriately prevent and mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.”