Thorold company gets $1M to boost production of COVID-19 test kits
Published January 13, 2022 at 12:44 pm
After the Ontario government has been lamenting a shortage of COVID-19 test kits, a Thorold company is looking to boost production of them.
Norgen Biotek Corp just received $1 million from the province to increase their production of the saliva-based COVID-19 test kit while the company itself is sinking in $12 million of its own.
The expansion of their production will mean another 105 jobs for the local community and will be capable of cranking out 100,000 diagnostic kits per day.
Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch is pretty happy with the homegrown solution to the test kit shortage within his riding.
“Testing shouldn’t be a luxury,” said Burch bluntly. “The province indicates resources for PCR tests are limited; however, Norgen Biotech Corp in the City of Thorold is ready to meet the demand.”
“Investing in Ontario businesses means local job creation, homegrown innovation and building capacity for our future,” Burch continued. “In this instance, buying local also means protecting the health and wellbeing of the people of this province.”
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“As we all grapple with this newest wave of COVID, it is of the utmost importance that we work together to find solutions.”
Earlier in the week, Burch had written a letter to Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott (see below) asking the province to allow the business to expand its license and increase production of the COVID-19 tests.
