Indiana health officials announce COVID-19 testing expansion

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana will increase free COVID-19 testing across the state through a partnership with Gravity Diagnostics.

Under the partnership, the Kentucky-based company will provide staff and supplies needed to collect and analyze up to 5,000 COVID-19 tests per day, including rapid antigen and PCR tests, the state health department said.

The testing operation is expected to come together in a matter of weeks and have the ability to expand to up to 45 sites, if needed.

The new partnership will allow the state to offer testing in communities with higher need for longer periods, State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box said in a statement Friday. That will allow mobile units to continue to host shorter testing and vaccination clinics in other areas of the state, she added.

Testing sites will remain at designated locations for fixed periods of time to increase the availability of testing in communities that currently lack adequate testing resources.

The agreement also offers the option to provide voluntary testing in K-12 school settings statewide, although details are still being finalized. Under that provision, Gravity will coordinate with schools directly to determine their interest in testing.

The contract will run until June 30, 2022, with an option to extend.