Los Angeles county and city leaders announced partnerships on March 23 with South Korea-based test kit manufacturer Seegene Technologies to purchase 20,000 new tests for the coronavirus.

The tests will be purchased with a combined $1.25 million in county funds and discretionary funds from Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez, 6th District, and Councilman David Ryu, 4th District. Officials are working on a larger contract to purchase additional coronavirus test kits and increase processing capacity.

“We cannot beat the coronavirus without more testing, isolation and treatment. Until then, we are operating in the dark,” said Ryu, chairman of the City Council Committee on Health. “Every minute counts in this crisis, and that’s why I have been working to secure contracts with test kit manufacturers worldwide and certified laboratories in California. Los Angeles isn’t waiting around, and I’m not either. I’m proud to partner with county leaders and Council President Martinez to secure more tests, expand lab capacity and address critical material shortages to expand testing as quickly as possible.”

“One of our most immediate needs has been to ramp up testing capabilities throughout Los Angeles County,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, 5th District. “The announcement of these contracts opens up the opportunity for us to vastly scale up testing and then, with proper diagnosis, we can work to treat those patients who test positive. I am grateful to the city of Los Angeles and Councilman David Ryu for their partnership in this critical effort.”

The first 20,000 tests will be provided to first-responders and medical professionals on the frontline of addressing the coronavirus pandemic in Los Angeles. A larger agreement with Seegene Technologies will be worked out for additional tests, authorities said. Seegene has committed to providing 100,000 tests per week to Los Angeles. All tests will be free to the public.

County leaders are also identifying additional partners for tests such as Curative, a manufacturer based in San Dimas, California, that also recently signed a contract with Los Angeles County. The goal is to secure a continuous supply of test kits and expanded lab capacity for processing. As of March 20, approximately 2,400 people had been tested in Los Angeles County.

Authorities also said critical shortages remain of gloves, swabs and other materials needed to complete coronavirus testing. Martinez asked local manufacturers to work with local government to repurpose production lines to make the materials needed for testing.

“The ever-escalating depth of this crisis demands a full-scale response, and I am proud to see the city and county of Los Angeles work hand-in-hand to secure these agreements to increase Los Angeles’ capacity to test for the novel coronavirus,” Martinez said. “We are also calling on Los Angeles-based manufacturers to come forward and help us ramp up locally on materials needed for the tests including swabs and testing trays, as well as masks and gloves to keep our healthcare workers safe. We need everyone – government, residents and the private sector – working together to properly address this crisis with the speed and scale required.”

Ryu secured the agreements with Seegene Technologies with support from Barger and Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, 1st District. Seegene accounts for the majority of tests completed in South Korea and currently produces 1 million test kits per week. Plans are underway to increase production to 2 million per week. The company’s current local coronavirus test processing capacity is 5,000 tests per day, with plans underway to build a national network of laboratories to process 30,000 tests per day.

For information, visit corona-virus.la.