OLYMPIA, Wash — If you are looking for a free at-home COVID-19 test, the state could soon send one to you.
The Washington State Department of Health (WSDOH) announced during Wednesday’s media briefing they're launching a state portal to order free rapid at-home antigen test kits, one day after the federal government kicked off their at-home COVID-19 test ordering website early.
WSDOH said they'll give each household one kit with four to five tests in each kit. The department ordered 3.5 million tests for the program and expects to help 350,000 households across the state in the first week.
“However, those tests are coming into us over several weeks, and the portal is dependent on our supply,” said Deputy Secretary of COVID-19 Response Lacy Fehrenbach, adding the supply chain is still strained despite recent improvements. “And when we are low or out of stock temporarily, you will not be able to order a test.”
Once ordered, the test kit is expected to arrive in one to two weeks. An exact start date for the launch of the portal hasn't been set yet, but WSDOH expects it'll be in the next few days.
This announcement comes at a time when getting a test, whether an at-home rapid test or a PCR test, has been very difficult for Washingtonians.
Recently the Mead School District (MSD) canceled sports practices and games after running out of COVID-19 tests for students.
MSD has been waiting for a COVID-19 test shipment since Dec. 10, even the school district offered to go to Olympia to pick them up and get a state representative involved to see if they could pick up tests.
MSD finally did get tests this week after a meeting with a WDOH employee in Moses Lake.
WSDOH said they’re aware of the requests from MSD. They added multiple factors that led to the delays, including supply shortages right as Omicron variant surged and testing demand increased and winter storms closing off the passes and causing flooding.
The department said they've improved their shipping methods, including adding staff to their warehouse and having limited call pickup.
However, the department doesn’t want people showing up at the warehouse since it's not a normal spot for giving out tests. Instead, it wants to use its own shipping process to get tests to schools.