ST. PAUL, MN (KELO.com) — Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan announced that Minnesota has partnered with the nation’s leading distributor of saliva testing to create plans for a new lab in Minnesota, the new labs they say will expand and diversify testing capacity for Minnesotans, create jobs, and slow the spread of COVID-19.
The planned lab will have the ability to more than double the state’s current test processing capacity. This saliva test reduces the need for personal protective equipment (PPE), swabs, and other limited testing supplies.
Minnesotans will be able to access a saliva test three different ways:
- First, the state will set up 10 semi-permanent sites. Any Minnesotan will be able to come to these sites located around the state to perform the saliva test.
- Second, the state and other partners will offer the test at mobile testing events. Fortunately, the saliva test requires much less PPE than a traditional swab for COVID-19 because it is self-collected under the supervision of a health professional.
- Third, Vault Health provides logistics and telehealth services to perform the saliva test at home. The state has not yet defined the exact parameters of a mail-order testing program.
(The Minnesota Department of Health contributed to this report.)
