It has been more than a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and people around the world are eager to safely get back on track with their lives. For many people, a return to “normal” involves going back to the office, resuming in-person classes at school or spending more time with family and friends with the comfort of knowing their risk of COVID-19 is reduced through testing, vaccination or both. For many elite athletes, it also means physically getting back on the track and competing for their country.

That’s why I’m proud that BD has established a partnership with USA Track & Field (USATF) to provide rapid COVID-19 testing with the BD Veritor™ Plus System to help athletes get back to competition safely.

As the official COVID-19 testing partner of USATF, tests using the BD Veritor™ Plus System will be conducted at several events throughout the Journey to Gold – Tokyo Outdoor Track & Field Series as athletes aim to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field. For the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, USATF requires pre-travel testing. Athletes, coaches, officials, agents, medical and meet management staff and others will then be tested every two days throughout the Trials using BD Veritor's COVID-19 rapid antigen test and will also be subject to additional PCR tests. In fact, thanks in part to this testing, USATF’s COVID-19 safety plan not only meets but exceeds all U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee guidelines.   

BD’s partnership with USATF is just one example of our commitment to helping people get back to their normal lives as soon as possible. Providing a fast and reliable way to determine someone’s COVID-19 status is critical to slowing the spread of the disease, while also helping a return to the activities we’ve all been missing. We’re proud that the fast, reliable results of BD Veritor^TM will help give these athletes the peace of mind they need to get back to the track – and maybe even compete in the Summer Olympic Games!

To learn more, please read our press release announcing this partnership and visit bdveritor.com.

About BD Veritor™ Plus System for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2

The BD Veritor™ Plus System for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Assay has not been cleared or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The test has been authorized by FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for use by authorized laboratories. The test has been authorized only for the detection of proteins from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens; and the test 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 Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the authorization is terminated or revoked sooner. For more information on the BD Veritor™ system, please visit bdveritor.com.