State of Delaware Selects Quidel for COVID-19 Testing Program at Schools
Quidel Corporation (NASDAQ: QDEL) has partnered with the State of Delaware to launch a comprehensive COVID-19 testing program aimed at K-12 schools, facilitating their reopening in the fall. Under this initiative, Quidel will manage staffing, sample collection, testing, and reporting results to the Delaware Division of Public Health. The program will begin at five pilot schools for summer sessions, with potential expansion statewide. Governor Carney emphasizes the importance of this program for student safety and in-person learning.
- Partnership with Delaware for a COVID-19 testing program supports K-12 school reopening.
- Quidel will oversee testing logistics, enhancing operational efficiency.
- Potential to expand testing program statewide provides significant market opportunity.
- None.
Quidel Corporation (NASDAQ: QDEL) (“Quidel”), a leading provider of rapid diagnostic testing solutions, cellular-based virology assays and molecular diagnostic systems, announced today that it is entering a partnership with the State of Delaware to implement a full-service, turn-key COVID-19 testing program to support the reopening of K-12 schools in the fall through its new service provider, Quidel Services, LLC.
Under Quidel’s full-service program, Quidel will be responsible for staffing test locations, coordinating sample collection, running the tests, and reporting results to the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) and the participating schools and school districts to provide asymptomatic COVID-19 screening. Students and faculty that opt-in to the COVID-19 screening program will be tested with Quidel’s rapid antigen tests.
DPH and Delaware’s Department of Education will launch the initiative at five pilot schools for summer school enrollees. Quidel can expand the program to all of the State’s K-12 schools when classrooms fully reopen for the fall semester. Under the optional program, parental permission is required for participating students.
“There is no greater need or responsibility than the safe reopening of our K-12 classrooms to all Delaware children – especially our youngest learners and disadvantaged children who need in-person instruction the most,” said Delaware Governor John Carney. “Regular COVID-19 testing is an important part of our comprehensive mitigation strategy to get all students back to in-person learning while reassuring parents that we are committed to keeping their children safe while at school.”
“From the start of the pandemic to today’s partnership with the State of Delaware, our dual purpose has been to create diagnostic technologies for the protection of human life, and to make them widely available so families can return to the joys of living and learning with greater peace of mind,” said Douglas Bryant, president and CEO of Quidel Corporation. “Working with the State of Delaware, Quidel is taking a truly market-leading step on that journey by introducing a complete testing-as-a-service model with a goal of detecting COVID-19 infections early and protect children, their classmates, teachers and families from potential spread. Every day that we shut coronavirus down will be a day that we keep classrooms open.”
Dr. Richard Pescatore, DPH Chief Physician, said, “We are committed to ensuring student, educator and staff safety as we reopen schools and associated student activities. We will monitor results from weekly school testing closely to identify trends and provide schools with the best guidance possible based on that data. The surest defenses against COVID-19 are vigilant screening and surveillance. Our rapid antigen in-school testing program with Quidel makes that possible.”
About Quidel Corporation
Quidel Corporation (Nasdaq: QDEL) is a leading manufacturer of diagnostic solutions at the point of care, delivering a continuum of rapid testing technologies that further improve the quality of health care throughout the globe. An innovator for over 40 years in the medical device industry, Quidel pioneered the first FDA-cleared point-of-care test for influenza in 1999 and was the first to market a rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen test in the U.S. Under trusted brand names Sofia®, Solana®, Lyra®, Triage® and QuickVue®, Quidel’s comprehensive product portfolio includes tests for a wide range of infectious diseases, cardiac and autoimmune biomarkers, as well as a host of products to detect COVID-19. With products made in America, Quidel’s mission is to provide patients with immediate and frequent access to highly accurate, affordable testing for the good of our families, our communities and the world. For more information about Quidel, visit quidel.com.
View our story told by our people at www.quidel.com/ourstory
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws that involve material risks, assumptions and uncertainties. Many possible events or factors could affect our future results and performance, such that our actual results and performance may differ materially from those that may be described or implied in the forward-looking statements. As such, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Differences in actual results and performance may arise as a result of a number of factors including, without limitation: the impact and duration of the COVID-19 global pandemic; competition from other providers of diagnostic products; our ability to accurately forecast demand for our products and products in development, including in new market segments; our ability to develop new technologies, products and markets and to commercialize new products; our reliance on sales of our COVID-19 and influenza diagnostic tests; our reliance on a limited number of key distributors; quantity of our product in our distributors’ inventory or distribution channels; changes in the buying patterns of our distributors; the financial soundness of our customers and suppliers; lower than anticipated market penetration of our products; third-party reimbursement policies and potential cost constraints; our ability to meet demand for our products; interruptions, delays or shortages in the supply of raw materials, components and other products and services; failures in our information technology and storage systems; our exposure to data corruption, cyber-based attacks, security breaches and privacy violations; international risks, including but not limited to, economic, political and regulatory risks; continuing worldwide political and social uncertainty; our development, acquisition and protection of proprietary technology rights; intellectual property risks, including but not limited to, infringement litigation; the loss of Emergency Use Authorizations for our COVID-19 products and failures or delays in receipt of reviews or regulatory approvals, clearances or authorizations for new products or related to currently-marketed products by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) or other regulatory authorities or loss of any previously received regulatory approvals, clearances or authorizations or other adverse actions by regulatory authorities; our contracts with government entities involve future funding, compliance and possible sanctions risks; product defects; changes in government policies and regulations and compliance risks related thereto; our ability to manage our growth strategy and successfully identify, acquire and integrate potential acquisition targets or technologies and our ability to obtain financing; our acquisition of Alere’s Triage® business presents certain risks to our business and operations; the level of our deferred payment obligations; our exposure to claims and litigation that could result in significant expenses and could ultimately result in an unfavorable outcome for us, including the ongoing litigation between us and Beckman Coulter, Inc.; we may need to raise additional funds to finance our future capital or operating needs; our debt, deferred and contingent payment obligations; competition for and loss of management and key personnel; business risks not covered by insurance; changes in tax rates and exposure to additional tax liabilities or assessments; and provisions in our charter documents and Delaware law that might delay or impede stockholder actions with respect to business combinations or similar transactions. Forward-looking statements typically are identified by the use of terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “might,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,” “intend,” “goal,” “project,” “strategy,” “future,” and similar words, although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently. The risks described in reports and registration statements that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, should be carefully considered, including those discussed in Item 1A, “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10 K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and in our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10 Q. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect management’s analysis only as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly release any revision or update of these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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