On Apr. 23, 2020, the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota Department of Health and University of Minnesota announced a breakthrough initiative to provide rapid, widespread testing for COVID-19 in Minnesota. The goal was to test all symptomatic people, isolate confirmed cases to limit the spread, and expand surveillance tools for public health officials. The partnership was funded in part by $36 million from the COVID-19 Minnesota Fund.

Under the agreement, the laboratory partners will:

• Create a central laboratory with capacity to perform 20,000 molecular and 15,000 serology tests daily.
• Establish a virtual command center to monitor daily testing needs and respond to outbreaks.
• Enable increased public health surveillance and research.

In the coming weeks, Mayo Clinic will continue to work with its health care partners around the state, now in partnership with the University of Minnesota, to greatly expand testing capacity and work out the operational details of the statewide testing program