New Hampshire to get federal funds for COVID-19 testing

(The Center Square) – New Hampshire will get $2 million in pandemic relief funds to support COVID-19 testing and mitigation efforts, members of the state’s congressional delegation said.

The funds, which are being provided through the American Rescue Plan Act, will support the state’s efforts to detect, diagnose, trace and monitor infections in highly populated settings.

Members of the state’s congressional delegation said the funds will help mitigate the risk of new outbreaks as a highly contagious strain of the coronavirus targets the unvaccinated.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said the state needs to “meticulously track and diagnose infections” especially among highly populated communities such as state prisons and homeless shelters.

“Prison populations and those experiencing homelessness are particularly at risk of infection, which is why this funding to help these communities is so critical,” she said in a statement. “No Granite Stater can be left behind as we work to turn the page on this crisis, and I’ll continue to fight for federal resources to combat this unprecedented pandemic.”

At least $1.47 million will go toward virus detection and mitigation in prison facilities, while another $449,760 will be diverted to expand testing in homeless populations.

Rep. Chris Pappas said the additional funds will “go a long way” to helping detect and mitigate COVID-19 among New Hampshire’s vulnerable populations.

“While New Hampshire is doing better than most in overcoming COVID-19, this pandemic is not over and more help is needed to ensure that we can fully recover and keep our friends, family, and neighbors safe,” he said.

The funds are just one sliver of the billions of dollars that New Hampshire has received in federal pandemic relief money over the past year.

Earlier this year, New Hampshire received $40 million in federal relief funds for pool testing in the state’s public school system.

The American Rescue Plan contains $47.8 billion for COVID-19 testing, the first $10 billion of which was disbursed to states in March.

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