How to get COVID-19 tests and tips for the BA.5 variant

Kate O'Farrell, Burlington Free Press
·3 min read

In the summer heat, many are turning to indoor and outdoor gatherings to celebrate the good weather. While Vermont celebrates summer, it's important to remember the reality of the presence of COVID-19, especially with the rise in the BA.5 variant.

Vermont stopped its state-run COVID-19 testing at the end of June. However, the contagious virus is not going away, and in fact, the Omicron BA.5 variant is rising in cases around the country, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

During a July 12 White House press briefing, Dr. Rochelle Walensky discussed the presence of BA.5 in the U.S. "CDC’s weekly Nowcast estimate indicates that BA.5 is predicted to represent 65 percent of circulating variants, and BA.4 is predicted to represent 16 percent," Walensky said.

She noted in this briefing that a recent infection, event with other Omicron variants, does not necessarily protect anyone from contracting the BA.4 or BA.5 variant.

Vermont stopped its state run testing sites on June 25, because "the state-run sites are no longer a necessity, as our tools to prevent COVID-19 have grown and evolved," Department of Health spokesman Ben Truman wrote in an email.

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Here's how to still access COVID-19 tests and tips to stay healthy in the midst of the BA.5 variant.

How to get COVID tests in Vermont

There are two ways to access COVID-19 tests right now. Pharmacies offer antigen tests that are covered by most insurance policies. Antigen tests are the most convenient and fastest way to determine the presence of the virus in the body, according to Truman.

"We encourage Vermonters to have at-home test kits on-hand to have ready to use in case they develop symptoms," Truman wrote in an email.

A University of Vermont Health Network critical care team conducts drive-up testing for Covid-19 at the Essex fairgrounds in Essex Junction, Vt., on Monday, March 16, 2020. Patients must be referred by their doctor to undergo testing.
A University of Vermont Health Network critical care team conducts drive-up testing for Covid-19 at the Essex fairgrounds in Essex Junction, Vt., on Monday, March 16, 2020. Patients must be referred by their doctor to undergo testing.

While many pharmacies offer COVID-19 antigen tests which are covered by insurance, a package of two tests costs between $20-$25 without insurance.

Anyone can register to receive COVID-19 tests through the mail at https://www.covid.gov/tests. Every household in the U.S. is eligible for this shipment of COVID-19 tests through the U.S. Postal Service, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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Tips to combat BA.5

The best way to protect against the infection and transmission of COVID-19 is still vaccination, according to Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID coordinator.

"Vaccines remain our single-most important tool to protect people against serious illness, hospitalizations, and death," Jha said. To locate vaccination sites in Vermont, visit the CDC's vaccine finder page, which allows anyone in the U.S. to search vaccination sites in or around their zip-code: Vaccines.gov - Search for COVID‑19 vaccine locations. Within the Burlington area, there are currently over 40 options for vaccination sites.

Additionally, masking is still an effective way to combat any strain of the virus. The CDC has a COVID-19 page which includes a Free Mask Finder. This tool provides locations near or within a zip code that distribute free masks: Find Free Masks (N95 Respirators) | CDC. In the Burlington area, many pharmacies offer free masks.

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Vermont's COVID-19 data sets are updated every Wednesday on the Department of Health's online Open Geodata Portal: COVID-19 in Vermont | Vermont Open Geodata Portal Your source for geospatial data.

The good news: Vermont's COVID-19 risk level is currently low. The state's Weekly COVID-19 Surveillance report published on July 13 shows that the rate of new COVID-19 cases in Vermont is fewer than 200 per 100,000 people.

Kate O'Farrell is a reporter for the Burlington Free Press. You can contact her at KOFarrell@freepressmedia.com.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: BA.5 COVID wave: How to stay healthy and get tests in Vermont