CHARLESTON, W.Va. – U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $3,103,241 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to help West Virginia University (WVU) increase COVID-19 testing in underserved and vulnerable communities across West Virginia.
“As we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, we must make sure we have widespread testing available, including in our rural and underserved areas,” said Senator Capito. “With a larger emphasis on testing, we will be able to better-identify asymptomatic cases, increase contact tracing, and maintain a targeted approach to limiting the impact of COVID-19 in communities across our state. I have been a tireless advocate for increased testing resources to West Virginia throughout the pandemic, and I am thrilled to see this support from HHS coming through. West Virginia is seeing both lower positivity and reproductive rates of COVID-19 today. This grant funding is welcome news and will help us build off this momentum and take the necessary steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our state.”
“Widespread COVID-19 testing is one of the most effective ways to curb the spread of this virus. As the state with the most vulnerable population, we must continue to face this public health crisis by providing all West Virginians access to COVID-19 testing,” said Senator Manchin. “On September 3rd, I wrote to HHS urging them to support this project to increase testing in our communities. I am pleased HHS is supporting this initiative to increase testing in underserved communities across the Mountain State and will continue to advocate for funding that helps our family, friends, and neighbors be as safe as possible during this pandemic.”
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