The Government of Canada announced today that it agreed to buy up to 7.9 million Abbott (NYSE:ABT) ID NOW rapid point-of-care COVID-19 tests.
Canadian Minister of Public Services and Procurement Anita Anand, along with Minister of Health Patty Hajdu, announced the agreement for the tests, although the purchase still hinges on Health Canada authorization for the diagnostics.
Should the tests garner authorization from the regulatory body, the government plans to deploy them to provinces and territories to support ramp-ups in surge capacity for COVID-19 testing.
Under the agreement, Canada will also purchase up to 3,800 analyzers to perform the test and deliver the rapid, point-of-care results, according to a news release.
“With testing technology rapidly evolving, the Government of Canada is moving quickly to ensure that Canadians have access to the most effective and efficient testing solutions possible,” Anand said in the release. “If authorized, these rapid tests will increase our capacity to detect and respond to new outbreaks, keeping Canadians healthy and safe.”
As President Donald Trump announced last night, the U.S. government has started shipping 100 million of Abbott’s rapid COVID-19 tests to states to support school reopenings and more. Last month, it was confirmed that the U.S. had struck a $750 million deal with Abbott for its BinaxNow COVID-19 antigen tests.
