FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, today announced it has been selected by the state of Washington as a digitally read, rapid antigen test option for COVID-19 testing and screening in K-12 schools across the state.

The BD Veritor™ Plus system is a portable, rapid and easy-to-use point-of-care antigen test that detects SARS-CoV-2 — the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 — and provides results in just 15 minutes with a clear and easy-to-read "positive" or "negative" readout on its digital display. The digital display eliminates human subjectivity of manually read tests. Schools throughout Washington state can use the BD Veritor™ Plus system free of charge through a partnership with the Washington Department of Health and The Health Commons Project "Learn to Return" school testing program.

Schools that choose to use the BD Veritor™ Plus system also have a full-service option where Premier Medical Group (PMG), a third-party testing company, plans and executes the school's testing program so teachers and administrators can focus on teaching, not testing. In this option, PMG will prepare a turn-key solution that includes testing protocol, administration of the tests to students and completion of all required results-reporting to individuals and schools, as well as local, state and federal health officials. This will be the only rapid (same day results) testing option with staffing support for Washington schools.

"Using these testing services, schools can benefit from BD's diagnostic testing technologies together with the ease of implementation and execution from a known testing service provider that has experience in implementing on-site testing programs in over 500 schools nationwide," said Dr. Scott Miscovich, president and CEO, PMG. "Knowing testing results in 15 minutes is critical in school environments in order to remain open and to help contain the spread of COVID-19. Students can be immediately quarantined if they test positive, instead of waiting for 24 to 48 hours or more for a lab-based test result to return. The ease of use and rapid results are also ideal for sports and extracurricular activities where testing is required or recommended to keep participants safe and reduce the potential for large outbreaks across a team that can lead to games or entire seasons being canceled."

Rapid antigen testing with the BD Veritor™ Plus System meets the needs of Washington schools who are implementing symptomatic testing, screening programs and/or extracurricular-only testing. School officials in Washington interested in using the BD Veritor™ Plus system should contact https://learntoreturn.org/menu-of-tests/.

About the BD Veritor™ Plus System
This product has not been FDA cleared or approved; but has been authorized by FDA under an EUA for use by authorized laboratories; This product has been authorized only for the detection of proteins from SARS- CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens; and, This product is only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of in vitro diagnostics for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19 under Section 564(b)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the declaration is terminated or authorization is revoked sooner. Testing is limited to laboratories certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA), 42 U.S.C §263a, that meet the requirements to perform moderate, high or waived complexity tests. This test is authorized for use at the Point of Care (POC), i.e., in patient care settings operating under a CLIA Certificate of Waiver, Certificate of Compliance, or Certificate of Accreditation. For more information, please see bdveritor.com.

About BD
BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of health care by developing innovative technology, services and solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and clinical process for health care providers. BD and its 70,000 employees have a passion and commitment to help enhance the safety and efficiency of clinicians' care delivery process, enable laboratory scientists to accurately detect disease and advance researchers' capabilities to develop the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every country and partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. By working in close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety and expand access to health care. For more information on BD, please visit bd.com or connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/bd1/ and Twitter @BDandCo.

SOURCE BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)