Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today announced California will receive $788 million in federal funding for additional coronavirus testing, enough for approximately 800,000 people to be tested.

            The funds were included by Congress in the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, which was signed into law last month.

            Senator Feinstein released the following statement:

            “Until a vaccine is found, increasing testing capacity must be a primary focus. It’s the only way we have of tracking the spread of this virus so that it can be contained.

            “The $788 million being sent to California will be sufficient for approximately 800,000 tests, meaning the state will nearly double the number of tests completed to date. But, in a state with nearly 40 million people, this is not enough.

            “Many more people will need tests, and possibly multiple tests. For instance, I have already been tested once for coronavirus, but that negative result was only accurate in that moment. Everyone should be prepared and willing to be tested often until this pandemic is over.

            “Testing by itself will not end this pandemic, and 800,000 new tests are just a fraction of what we need. But, it’s clear we must be able to test widely and regularly if we hope to minimize the fallout of this pandemic until an effective vaccine is developed.

            “I’ll continue working to make sure California gets the federal resources it needs to save lives.”