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Cut Losses: Officials should learn from testing program

Mountain State officials appear to be trying to make the best of a disappointing situation as they ended a partnership with New York-based Vault Health after only 10 days. Initially, the program seemed promising. As the state scrambled to make every COVID-19 testing option available to residents, it worked with Vault to offer free at-home saliva test kits starting Dec. 2.

By Dec. 11, it was clear the relationship was not going to work.

More than $4.6 million was paid by the Department of Health and Human Resources’ Division of Health for more than 39,000 kits. It took 1,673 at-home tests to realize the program was inefficient and expensive. A time lag in getting back results meant delays in contact tracing and identifying other virus infections. At a cost of $119 per test kit, that just wouldn’t do.

In terms of price, “It’s on the upper end of the scale of all of the labs we use,” said DHHR Secretary Bill Crouch. But, again, officials believed the cost was worth it, if it could provide another means of keeping West Virginians safe through greater access to testing. Good for them for quickly realizing the project was not as advertised and pulling the plug.

The remaining tests already purchased will be used for testing in higher education and the state’s correctional system, so the purchase will not be a waste. Officials can consider it a lesson learned, and a reminder to be more thorough in questioning potential vendors next time.

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