LOUISVILLE, KY- The USPS will start shipping at-home COVID tests soon to the people who sign up on the COVIDtests.gov webpage. It’s expected to be shipped by the end of January.
This measure is was announced by The White House a month ago.
”The fact that you’re able to test and get a result, that can help guide your behavior,” Dr. Mark Burns, UofL Infectious Disease Specialist said.
As the new variant spreads very fast in Louisville communities, there are long waits in front of the testing laboratories.
He said that’s the goal behind shipping at-home COVID tests to people’s homes.
”It’s difficult for everyone right now if you start to have symptoms or an exposure,” Natasha Sanders, Nurse at Family Health Center in Portland said. “People don’t know where to test and testing is backed up a lot.”
According to the White House administration, one set of four tests will be delivered per household.
Doctor Ken Burns advises following the instructions on the box.
“On the test strip that you get, those are antibodies in there,” Burns said. “When you take your material, you’re exposing those to the antibodies that are there. If those antigens from your test get exposed to those antibodies and should cause a reaction.”
According to doctors, if a test returns negative but the test taker has symptoms, the patient should assume they have COVID, get a PCR test, and quarantine.
For asymptomatic people who test and return with a negative result, it’s necessary to test again within 24 to 48 hours.
