AUGUSTA, Maine (WGAN) Governor Janet Mills on Thursday announced a “major breakthrough” for the state’s coronavirus testing effort.

The governor says the state, working with IDEXX Laboratories, has secured a major expansion of coronavirus testing which will allow the state to more than triple it’s testing capacity. Governor Mills says that should allow anyone in the state suspected of having COVID-19 to receive a test and that the state has purchased enough test kits to run at least 5,000 tests per week for the foreseeable future.

IDEXX, known mostly for veterinary medicine, also works on human diagnostics through OPTI Medical Systems, it’s human health business. On Thursday, IDEXX announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had granted OPTI Medical Systems an Emergency Use Authorization for IDEXX’s laboratory test kit for the detection of coronavirus.

IDEXX says it’s also loaning a testing instrument to the Maine CDC’s laboratory to help accommodate the higher testing volume, donating enough test kits to conduct another 3,500 tests.

The new tests are in addition to the Maine CDC’s testing capacity, which is about 2,000 tests per week.

It comes as the state begins the process of re-opening businesses and sending some people back to work, which health officials have warned would hinge on whether widespread coronavirus testing is available.

“This is a game changer,” said Dr. Nirav D. Shah, Director of the Maine CDC. “It will allow us to move to a next level of testing that is crucial to monitoring the public health implications of a phased reopening of Maine businesses and gathering places.”

“This changes everything,” Governor Mills said. “Acquiring this testing capacity is a major breakthrough for all the people of Maine. We have worked closely with IDEXX over the last month to position the state to benefit from this new and exciting product. Now we are poised to more than triple the State’s testing capacity, remove testing barriers for health care providers, and make sure that anyone who needs a test can get one. On behalf of this Administration and on behalf of all the people of Maine, I thank IDEXX for their ingenuity, generosity, and partnership. Acts like this demonstrate to us the heart of Maine’s extraordinary companies and the power of public-private collaboration.”