OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington State Department of Health announced Friday that it launched its at-home testing program that allows residents to order COVID-19 rapid tests directly to their homes.
Washington residents can now order up to five free tests per household through a statewide portal.
>> Washington state COVID-19 test portal
“This is an important step toward making tests more widely available across the state,” said Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH, Secretary of Health.
The state warned that not everyone who wants a test will be able to get one right away and asks for patience as the state waits for more supply.
The DOH said it has about 650,000 tests on hand currently and is anticipating getting more early next week and into next week.
“We anticipate people’s initial need in the test kits will exceed our current supply pretty quickly, but our focus is sharing what we have right now,” said Lacy Fehrenbach, MPH, CPH, Deputy Secretary for Prevention & Health. “We want to make sure the tests we have are in homes when our state needs testing the most – during this current surge.”
The program is an expansion of a partnership with CareEvolution and Amazon that delivered 800,000 tests in parts of Eastern Washington.
Shah asked that if you don’t need a test, don’t order one and save the supply for those who actively need testing supplies.
You can also get COVID-19 tests in the following ways:
- Order free at-home COVID-19 tests through the Federal program COVIDtests.gov.
- Purchase an at-home test at local retailers and pharmacies.
- If you have health insurance, most insurers will now directly cover or pay you back for up to 8 at-home tests per month, for each person on your plan.
- Find a test at a testing location near you.