At-home COVID-19 tests are now available in Idaho
Jun. 16—The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is offering free at-home COVID-19 tests to Idaho residents, according to an IDHW news release.
Tests can be requested by calling 211. No personal information is required other than a name and mailing address.
"Reliable and widely available testing is a critical part of our efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19," said Elke Shaw Tulloch, administrator of the Division of Public Health. "Combined with efforts to increase vaccinations, this important initiative can help to get us back to our usual way of living."
The IDHW is working with VAULT Medical to provide COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction testing on saliva for people in Idaho. VAULT tests can be used whether a person has symptoms or a known exposure to someone with COVID-19.
The test involves collecting saliva and mailing it to a laboratory that analyzes the sample. Saliva collection can be done at a person's home with the assistance of a trained VAULT Medical observer via a virtual Zoom visit on a smartphone or tablet.
Results are available to the individual electronically in one to three days. Test results are also reported to Idaho state or local public health departments by VAULT, per federal requirements for all COVID-19 testing.
In Whitman County, eight new confirmed cases were reported Tuesday, including cases from Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday, according to Whitman County Public Health's website. The new cases pushed the total in the county since the pandemic started to 4,381. COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations since the pandemic started remained unchanged Tuesday at 50 and 124, respectively.
In Latah County, Public Health-Idaho North Central District reported no new cases of the virus Tuesday. Its website said total cases in the county are at 3,204 since the pandemic began, including 3,039 confirmed and 165 probable cases. Of the 3,204 cases, 3,158 people have recovered, 35 cases are open and 11 people have died.
