Kansas health officials are looking to purchase nasal swabs from dental offices with 3D printers in an effort to increase the state's COVID-19 testing capacity, according to KSNT.
State labs currently run 200 to 300 tests per day, though they have the capacity to run nearly 1,000. The lack of plastic breakaway nasal swabs has prevented further testing, according to Lee Norman, MD, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
"We're willing to go into partnership with dental offices to produce these within the state of Kansas," Dr. Norman said, according to KSNT.
The state has already ordered thousands of swabs from retailers but hasn't received them all yet. Dr. Norman said he wants as many as 100,000 swabs for additional testing.