Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) reportedly rejected offers for more than a million COVID-19 tests from authorized U.S. suppliers this spring while complaining that he had no choice but to import 500,000 test kits from Korea. from the south.
Emails obtained by The Washington Post reveal details of a national distributor’s attempts to offer state test kits at a lower price than that offered by South Korean manufacturers.
“We got a call, presented what we had, and basically didn’t hear a thing,” Maryland-based sales consultant Rick Vohrer told the Post about an April 10 phone conversation between him; the deputy director of government affairs for the state health department, Jake Whitaker; and representatives of a Florida-based group that distributes tests manufactured by Co-Diagnostics.
After the phone call, Vohrer also sent an email reviewing the emergency use authorization of the test kit by the Food and Drug Administration.
Ten days after the call, Hogan announced the deal with the South Korean manufacturer, paying almost $ 9.5 million for the shipment, or an average of about $ 18 per test.
Hogan said that he and his wife had been working on the deal since March 28.
Hogan wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post this week describing how he and his wife, Yumi Hogan, viewed the purchase as a necessity because Maryland had “nowhere else to turn.” In the op-ed, he criticized the Trump administration for what he called inaction amid the pandemic.
“Eventually, it was clear that waiting for the president to lead the nation’s response was futile; if we took longer, we would be condemning more of our citizens to suffering and death. So each governor went his own way,” Hogan said. he wrote in the opinion piece published on Thursday.
However, the Post reported that in April, US kit manufacturers could send tests to national laboratories by the millions. Experts said testing was limited by other supplies at the time, including nasal swabs and chemical reagents for processing purposes.
Vohrer said he once again contacted Whitaker after Hogan’s announcement, and told the Post that distributors had informed state officials that they could supply the tests quickly and less costly.
“The test that I discussed with you is manufactured nationally, [by] Co-Diagnostics, and it costs $ 12.00 for the volume purchased in Korea, “the email said, according to the Post.” Volumes greater than one million units can fetch even better prices, as low as $ 10 “.
Co-Diagnostics said they obtained authorization to send tests nationwide in mid-March, and CEO Dwight Egan told the Post that the company would have been “very eager and able” to process a large order from the state.
Hogan spokesman Michael Ricci told the Post that Maryland signed a testing agreement with South Korean company LabGenomics on April 2, 14 days after US manufacturers said they could provide test kits nationwide but earlier. from the launch of Vohrer to Whitaker.
A Hogan spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.
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