The Biden administration’s new COVID-19 testing initiative – which aims to deliver 500 million taxpayer-funded at-home COVID-19 tests to Americans – is using tests that were made in China.
Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer said he noticed the “made in China” label on the back of his at-home tests after he received them in the mail earlier this week.
“I got mine yesterday. All four of them came. Congrats U.S. government. U.S. Postal Service did a great job. Got my four tests,” Hemmer told co-host Dana Perino. “And on the back of the fine print, Dana, it is made in China.”
According to Reuters, many of the tests being distributed by the Biden administration are from iHealth Labs Inc., a business based in Sunnyvale, California, whose parent company is the Chinese firm Andon Health Co. Ltd. The U.S. government awarded iHealth a $1.275 billion contract on Jan. 13, making the Chinese company the largest supplier for the effort.
The $1.275 billion contract for iHealth’s COVID-19 tests represents about two-thirds of the supply of tests procured by the Biden administration in January. Roche Diagnostics Corp., of Indianapolis, Indiana, was awarded a $340 million to produce COVID tests. Abbott Rapid Dx North America LLC, of Orlando, Florida, was awarded $306 million.
The Biden administration told Fox News Digital in a statement there were not enough American-made rapid tests to meet demand, so the government sourced tests made “in other parts of the world.”
“We are procuring as many U.S.-made at-home tests as are available to purchase, while also purchasing additional, FDA authorized at-home tests that are made in other parts of the world,” the Biden administration said. “Together this ensures that we are making available as many at-home tests for the American people as possible and importantly, we’re doing so in a way that ensures we are not interfering with other channels where people can get at home tests, including through their states, pharmacies and online retailers.”
The administration also noted that every test must undergo the emergency use authorization process with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“Importantly, every at-home test that is available to the American people has underwent a rigorous FDA approval process guaranteeing that it is of the highest quality,” the administration added.
American officials have used other China-made healthcare products in the battle against COVID-19 – the virus that was first identified in Wuhan, China – including the Office of the Attending Physician of the U.S. Congress, which gave congressional offices KN95 masks that were “Made in China.”
Over 120 GOP Representatives expressed “disbelief and outrage” that taxpayers were funding the purchase of masks from China when “American alternatives are available.”
