State officials announced a new partnership that could bolster COVID-19 testing capabilities statewide.

In a news conference Tuesday, Gov. Tom Wolf said the state has partnered with OraSure to expand its production as the company continues to research two new tests related to COVID-19.

OraSure, headquartered in Northampton County, is developing a rapid antigen, self-test to detect active COVID-19 quickly. The company also is working on tests that would detect COVID-19 antibodies.

Stephen Tang, president and CEO of the company, said the tests may be available by the end of the year.

“I'm proud that OraSure is bringing its expertise to the battle against COVID-19,” Tang said.

In theory, both tests would be administered through a swab, and the result would cause a reaction in a short amount of time that could be interpreted at home by the person doing the test on themselves.

“Essentially, it's a lab on a swab,” he said.

OraSure will expand its manufacturing operations in the Lehigh Valley, creating 177 full-time jobs.

OraSure received a funding proposal from the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for a $531,000 Pennsylvania First grant and $531,000 in Job Creation Tax Credits to be distributed upon creation of the new jobs.

Wolf said the new development will help Pennsylvanians in regard to high wait times for COVID-19 testing at national labs.

“The hot spots are getting priority, which I understand, but that means we're paying the price here in PA in our efforts to mitigate the virus,” he said. “This is going to do a lot to help us in the commonwealth to fill a testing need that we have. We have built a lot of capacity.”

In the past two weeks, state officials have touted the fact that the state has the capacity to test about 4 percent of the state's population in one month, but many, including Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine, have called for more.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health's report Tuesday, 828 new positive results of COVID-19 have been added. The new statewide total stands at 120,281.

In the same report, Butler County added six new confirmed cases of COVID-19. Since the pandemic began, the county has had 618 residents test positive for the virus and 15 people die due to complications.

Levine said with state testing facilities and many hospitals testing for an active virus, the turnaround time can be between 24 to 48 hours, but the state facilities have a limited number of tests they can run each day, and hospitals are struggling to find reagents to do testing on a larger scale.

She said the work being done by OraSure could be instrumental for Pennsylvania's success in mitigating the virus by producing more tests within the state.

“This would be a game-changer,” she said.

Tang said currently his company, which has an established HIV test that acts similar to their ideal COVID-19 test, can produce about 35 million units per year of all of their tests.

With the state funding, OraSure will be able to add about 177 new employees, improving not only its research, but also its manufacturing.

Tang estimated that by the end of the first quarter next year, it could be producing tests at a pace of about 55 million per year. And by the second quarter, it could be at a pace of 70 million per year.

He said the tests could be especially beneficial in settings like nursing homes, school systems, employers and prisons, and his company is committed to the fight against COVID-19.

“We recognize the potential impact of the product, and we're doing everything we can to make sure it is affordable, reliable and performing the way it'll help everybody,” he said.