HARTFORD, Conn. — Facing a spike in cases driven by the omicron variant, Connecticut will distribute 3 million free at-home COVID-19 tests, beginning Thursday, Gov. Ned Lamont said.
Monday’s announcement comes amid long waits at mass COVID-19 testing sites and a shortage of retail test kits. The state will also distribute 6 million N95 masks as part of the effort to quell the current surge in coronavirus cases.
“The demand for tests has outpaced the supply of testing available through our statewide network of about 400 sites,’' Lamont said in a news release announcing the effort. “The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is likely to be a period of high transmission, and we have to get 2022 off to a good start by helping residents identify COVID-19 quickly and take those steps to isolate appropriately to curb any further spread.”
The Democratic governor provided few specifics about exactly where residents can collect the tests and how they would be distributed. State officials said those details are still being finalized and are subject to change.
The first allocation will include the distribution of 500,000 iHealth kits — each containing two tests for a total of one million tests — that will be designated for the general public. The state has purchased another one million iHealth kits — each containing two tests for a total of two million tests — that will be distributed to K-12 schools statewide.
The state Department of Public Health, the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, and the Connecticut National Guard will oversee the distribution of the kits, with support from regional and local emergency management teams. This initiative also will include the distribution of N95 masks.
The state Department of Education is coordinating distribution of the test kits and masks to schools, which will begin in early January.
The total cost of the coronavirus tests is approximately $18.5 million and will be funded through federal funds, state officials said.
Several other states have taken similar steps. In Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker announced earlier this month that the state was distributing free tests to residents in 102 communities that have the highest percentage of residents living below the poverty line. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration secured 10 million additional coronavirus tests; 2 million of those are earmarked for public school districts.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says testing is critically important to reducing the spread of the virus.
In the early days of the pandemic, coronavirus tests were in short supply. But nearly two years later, tests can still be difficult to procure.
At-home tests generally provide results within 15 minutes. But at a cost of as much as $20 to $30 for two, the kits are expensive and are sold out at many retail locations.
Mass-testing sites saw an influx of people in the days leading up to Christmas, with people seeking results to determine if they could safely gather for the holidays.
“There are three simple and effective interventions to fight off the current surge of COVID-19 from the omicron variant — vaccination, masking and testing,” Connecticut Public Health Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani said. “We will be distributing two of these — masks and tests — so that our communities can work as quickly as possible to get past this surge.”
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