CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice
said that the state is partnering with an at-home test kit company to make covid
testing free and more accessible for West Virginians.
State residents may order a kit online, receive it in the mail, connect with a
telehealth supervisor over a Zoom call and be guided through the saliva
collection process. The kit is mailed back through expedited shipping and 48 to
72 hours later results are available.
It’s a RT-PCR test — real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction
test — which state leaders described as the “gold standard.”
Information about testing options, including the mail-in tests, is available at
the Department of Health and Human Resource’s website.
Coronavirus response coordinator Clay Marsh says this is a way to ease the
necessity of waiting in lines for covid-19 tests.
“This is the next step for us to continue to amplify the ease and convenience
of getting people tested,” Marsh said.
Marsh and DHHR Secretary Bill Crouch also said the at-home test kits — and
their do-it-yourself method — could help ease the workload of local health
workers who usually administer tests, freeing up more time for duties such as
the upcoming vaccine distribution.
Because the offering is new, state leaders aren’t yet sure what demand might
be. They acknowledged that they’ll need to monitor what demand is. The test
kits are free to state residents but billed to the state.
The cost if you just ordered your own test kit would normally be $119.
“We’ll have to monitor, you know, how we’re able to allow people or get these
number of tests out. Just from the standpoint of watching the dollars we have,”
Justice said.
Crouch agreed.
“At some point we may wind up having to cap this, but we certainly hope not,”
Crouch said.
Crouch said the mail-in testing offering entered state leaders’ radar a couple
of weeks ago, enhancing the state’s goal of testing citizens and having people
with positive tests quarantine.
“We want West Virginians to test. It’s how we fight this disease right now,”
Crouch said.
The company with the mail-in test kits is Vault Health. Its chief executive,
Jason Feldman, said the test format has been available since April and has been
in use by several states.
But he said West Virginia has taken its embrace of the product a step further.
“The way West Virginia is doing it is pretty innovative,” Feldman said. “There
are two or three other states that have taken a similar tactic, but I think
what Governor Justice has done is probably among the most progressive in that
he has — and his team has — made it so accessible that there’s no need to even
accept or have to worry about taking insurance.”
Feldman said getting a test is critical for those with symptoms or possible
covid exposure.
“So one of the easiest ways to take a test is not having to go somewhere and
find a place where you might be infected with people who are also trying to get
a test — but, in fact, do it in your own home,” Feldman said.
“Governor Justice and his team have made it accessible in a very innovative
way. Everybody in West Virginia is able to get access to a free covid test —
for everybody in their family if they need it — to be delivered to their home
by UPS overnight.”
He concluded, “In less than 48 hours, you will know if you are safe or sick and
you can get on about your life.”