The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is announcing upcoming action by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide $186,000,000 in funding for additional resources to state and local jurisdictions in support of the response to the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The funding will help the CDC support public health initiatives and programs. The grant will allow the CDC to supplement an existing cooperative agreement to multiple states and local jurisdictions identified as having the highest number of reported COVID-19 cases, and jurisdictions with accelerating or rapidly accelerating COVID-19 cases.

The funding will support a range of activities including lab equipment, supplies, staffing, shipping, infection control, surge staffing, monitoring of individuals, and data management.

Even more, the award will help the CDC and state jurisdictions through the Emerging Infections Program (EIP) to enhance surveillance capabilities. Activities will include investigating and assessing the burden and severity of COVID-19, evaluating and determining risk factors and outcomes, and planning and implementing prevention strategies.

“Increasing the capacity of our nation’s public health infrastructure is critical to stopping the spread of COVID-19 in communities across this country,” said CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D. “These funds will augment core public health capabilities including surveillance and predictive analytics, laboratory capacity, qualified frontline deployers, and the ability to rapidly respond to emerging disease clusters in communities that currently have limited person to person spread of the virus.”

A list of CDC funding to jurisdictions is available here.