Massachusetts is part of a new interstate agreement for the purchasing of rapid COVID-19 testing equipment. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said at least six states are banding together for the purchasing agreement, with a goal to "expand the use of rapid point-of-care tests." In addition to Ohio and Massachusetts, Maryland, Louisiana, Michigan and Virginia are also part of the agreement, DeWine said. The agreement between the states is an effort to demonstrate to private manufacturers the need for scaling up production of rapid point-of-care antigen testing, which are simpler, faster and less expensive than the current testing model, DeWine said.The agreement was made in a compact with the Rockefeller Foundation, which plans to facilitate financing mechanisms that can support such a testing system, the Associated Press reported. DeWine's announcement on Twitter came just hours after Gov. Charlie Baker said his administration was working on rapid testing ahead of the reopening of schools."One of the things we are working on developing is an ability to do rapid mobile testing for schools when schools open," Baker said, in response to a question from WCVB political reporter Sharman Sacchetti.When pressed for details, Baker said to expect an announcement in "a few days."A statement issued by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan indicated that schools are just one of the envisioned uses for the technology."Through this interstate compact, states are coming together to ramp up the use of rapid antigen testing to help better detect outbreaks more quickly, and expand long-term testing in congregate settings such as schools, workplaces, and nursing homes," Hogan's announcement said. WCVB has reached out to the Baker administration for a comment and was directed to a statement contained in the Maryland announcement.“Increasing both testing capacity and access to testing is a critical part of stopping the spread of COVID-19,” said Governor Baker. “We are pleased to join this interstate compact and look forward to working with this bipartisan group of governors to collectively build on these shared goals.”On Monday, Dr. Ashish Jha, the director of Harvard’s Global Health Institute, spoke in support of a transition to more rapid testing. "If you want to be certain if somebody is infected or not, these tests are not so great," Jha said. "If you want to identify whether they're infectious or not and going to go out and spread it to other people, these tests are actually quite good."Massachusetts and other states have previously entered into purchasing agreements during the pandemic in attempts to ensure a flow of personal protective equipment and stabilize costs.The Associated Press contributed to this report.