Benzinga | Sep 2, 2020 04:08PM EDT

Fulgent Genetics, New York City Health And Hospitals Partner On Large-Scale Back-To-School COVID-19 Testing

Test and Trace (T2) Program will use Picture by Fulgent at-home test for hundreds of thousands of students to help ensure a safe return to school

TEMPLE CITY, Calif., Sept. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fulgent Genetics (NASDAQ:FLGT) and New York City Health and Hospitals have announced they will provide COVID-19 testing to hundreds of thousands of students across approximately 1600 locations as they return to school in September and over the next several months. Fulgent will provide its FDA EUA-approved at-home test, Picture by Fulgent, a RT-PCR test that provides the highest level of sensitivity and specificity, utilizing a self-collected nasal swab sample. Fulgent will provide results within 24-48 hours from the time when Fulgent receives and accepts a specimen for the test.

"Fulgent is very happy to partner with the City of New York on such an important and novel testing protocol. It's an ambitious goal to test so many students in such a rapid fashion, but the combination of the Fulgent technology platform and lab capacity along with the strong testing infrastructure of New York City makes this possible," commented Brandon Perthuis, Chief Commercial Officer of Fulgent Genetics. "In just a few short days, we were able to get the first shipment of hundreds of thousands of Picture kits to New York City. We will now be working closely with the city on the distribution, return and replenishment of the kits," added Perthuis.

This is one of the first large-scale testing programs for COVID-19 to utilize an at-home test kit. Fulgent's Picture Genetics at-home test was chosen due to its convenient self-administration, which can be used on-site at schools as well as at home. The company's industry-leading turnaround time of 24-48 hours also makes this a powerful tool for back-to-school testing.