LAS CRUCES — Amid rising COVID-19 case numbers, increased pressure on hospitals, and a nationwide testing shortage, state and federal officials are working on plans to distribute at-home testing kits.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a press release Monday that she has directed the New Mexico Department of Health and Human Services to “procure 1 million rapid tests every two weeks to ensure every New Mexican has access to this critical tool in our fight against COVID-19.” has”.
The country announced that the iHealth at-home antigen rapid tests should initially be distributed in areas with a higher social risk.
The state noted that these home testing kits are being distributed to emergency managers in 26 counties in the 79 ZIP codes — about a quarter of all ZIP codes in the state — with the highest social vulnerability index. The SVI takes into account socioeconomic status, household composition, minority status, or type of housing and transportation to determine the at-risk population in public health emergencies.
In its press release, the state did not specify specific zip codes, how many test kits will be distributed to each household, or the distribution method.
Order COVID-19 home tests through the COVIDtest.gov website
At the federal level, President Joe Biden has announced that the government will mandate 1 billion at-home COVID-19 tests.
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Beginning Wednesday, Jan. 19, the first 500 million tests can be ordered from COVIDTests.gov and shipped home via the US Postal Service in 7 to 12 days, according to an official who reported to the reporter on condition of anonymity, USA, informed Today reported last week.
The site started taking orders a day early on Tuesday, January 18. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the site is in beta to allow for debugging.
Under a plan that began Saturday, Jan. 15, Americans with health insurance can get up to eight at-home coronavirus tests for free. Private health plans must cover the over-the-counter tests at up to $12 per test. Consumers can either purchase the test kits for free or submit receipts for reimbursement to the insurance company.
“This is all part of our overall strategy to increase access to easy-to-use, home testing for free,” Xavier Becerra, Secretary of State for Health and Human Services, said in a statement last week. “By requiring private health plans to cover at-home testing, we are expanding Americans’ ability to get free testing when they need it.”
Record number of COVID cases in New Mexico
New Mexico recorded nearly 30,000 new COVID-19 cases in the week of Jan. 8-14, a high for a seven-day period since the pandemic began. State officials predict that the Omicron variant is responsible for the majority of cases.
Patients infected with the Omicron variant generally have milder symptoms, although the strain is more contagious than previous COVID-19 variants and can break through immune systems vaccinated months previously. The state’s daily COVID-19 reports show that hospital admissions are increasing across the state but are not at their peak.
The number of positive COVID-19 cases is likely higher than reported because residents who get tested at home may not tell the state, while others may forgo testing altogether as symptoms can recede before a test is scheduled can be.
The quicker you get test results, the better decisions you can make to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, health officials say.
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“Part of learning to live with COVID is bringing the tools to fight the virus into our homes, and home testing is one of the tools that will enable us to manage this pandemic in the long term,” said the acting health secretary said dr David Scrase in a press release.
Those tools, the state says, include immunizations, including booster shots for COVID-19. Other measures to slow the spread in the community include wearing face coverings in indoor public spaces, as mandated under a public health regulation valid until February; if possible, keep a distance of two meters from non-household members; and washing or sanitizing hands frequently.
Also in that press release, the state advises, “If you cannot get a test and have symptoms of COVID, please assume you have COVID and follow the guidelines for positive COVID.”
For home or self testing, see https://cv.nmhealth.org/selftest/.
Lucas Peerman can be reached at [email protected] or @LittleGuyInATie on Twitter.
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