Indiana Aims To Increase COVID-19 Testing Capacity, Hires New Company

Indiana is hiring a new company to help increase COVID-19 testing across the state.

That comes amid a surge of cases – the state Friday reported its highest number of positives in a day since early January.

The state’s contract with Kentucky-based Gravity Diagnostics will run through June of next year, with an option to extend it further if needed. Gravity will provide supplies and staffing to increase capacity by up to 5,000 tests per day. That includes both rapid antigen testing and PCR tests.

READ MORE: Looking For A COVID-19 Test? Here’s How To Get One

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In the coming weeks, the state and Gravity will establish up to 45 sites around the state, targeting communities that currently lack testing resources.

The Indiana Department of Health said Gravity will also offer voluntary testing in Indiana K-12 schools, working directly with schools to do so.

Testing sites will be posted at the state’s website, coronavirus.in.gov.

The state ended its previous testing contract with the company OptumServe after June, citing low demand. Indiana had averaged about 280 new cases per day in June. In August, the state averaged 2,900.

Contact reporter Brandon at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.