Washington DOH announces end of free at-home COVID-19 testing
Mar 9, 2023, 3:27 PM
FILE - A second grade student is given a at-home COVID-19 test at H.W. Harkness Elementary School in Sacramento, Calif., on Feb. 11, 2022. The declaration of a COVID-19 public health emergency three years ago changed the lives of millions of Americans by offering increased health care coverage, beefed up food assistance and universal access to coronavirus vaccines and tests. Much of that is now coming to an end, with President Joe Biden's administration saying it plans to end the emergencies declared around the pandemic on May 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has announced the end of its free at-home testing program. Say Yes! COVID Test is set to expire May 10.
The program launched in Jan. 2022 and has sent out more than 15 million tests to households across the state.’
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“As the COVID-19 pandemic moves into a state of recovery, however, starting March 13, eligibility will change to focus on Washington communities that are most in need,” the department said in a prepared statement.
The new criteria set for free tests will help specifically “disadvantaged households.” You can check your eligibility here.
Free at-home COVID-19 tests are still available from the Federal government, and insurers are required to cover the cost of eight at-home tests per month until the end of the federal public health emergency May 11.
“Thanks to the incredible partnership between the DOH Say Yes! COVID Test team and our partners, as well as close collaborations with the public health and healthcare systems, communities, and individual Washingtonians, our state has achieved one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates in the country,” said Dr. Tao Sheng Kwan-Get, DOH Chief Science Officer. “DOH will continue to support Washingtonians to keep their communities healthy and protect the elderly and those with chronic conditions who are most vulnerable to the severe impacts of COVID-19.”
