LINCOLN- State officials told lawmakers Monday that labs were running "critically short" on testing supplies in April shortly after the first COVID-19 case was identified in Nebraska. Collection tubes and the transport media were difficult to obtain by states and countries across the globe.

Nebraska looked at their usual vendors to supply testing supplies, but every time state officials were told to look elsewhere. Eventually, Nomi Health partnered with other tech firms to set up a testing program in Utah and had the resources to also set something up here. That is when Nebraska announced the $27 million no-bid contract with Nomi Health to provide up to 540,000 tests in Nebraska for a six month period.

This decision garnered attention from lawmakers across the state. Senator Machaela Cavanaugh introduced a resolution to study how the contract was made and what changes can be made before renewal. She says the state did not reach out to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the Nebraska Public Health Lab or local health departments before the contract was drafted.

Testing sites have also moved to a model which allows for walk-up assessments. Testing in Nebraska started with a figure of 150 tests per day and now has the capacity for 6,000 tests everyday.

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