State says 225,000 free COVID-19 rapid test kits available to vulnerable communities in 14 counties
The Illinois Department of Public Health said Friday that 225,000 COVID-19 rapid test kits are being made available to vulnerable communities in 14 counties.
The communities eligible for the free testing kits, identified by ZIP code, were determined through a social vulnerability index that measured data including socioeconomic and minority status. The Chicago-area counties in the program include Cook, DuPage, Lake and Will.
The tests can be ordered through www.accesscovidtests.org and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Households will receive a kit with five tests within two weeks of ordering, the state said.
The tests are being made available through Project Access Covid Tests in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation, health care and test companies and Amazon.
The other counties where communities will be eligible for the free tests are Henry, Jackson, Jefferson, Kankakee, Macon, Madison, Marion, Peoria, St. Clair and Winnebago.
“Readily available tests can help us chart a course for the new normal and help us learn how to coexist with COVID-19,” said Illinois Public Health Department Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike.
