Wisconsin governor announces at-home COVID-19 testing option

On Tuesday, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced a new contract with Vault Medical Services that will add an additional tool to the Wisconsin COVID-19 testing toolbox starting Tuesday.

At-home COVID-19 saliva collection kits will be available to everyone who lives in Wisconsin, with or without symptoms, at no cost.

"We believe that anyone in Wisconsin who needs to be tested for COVID-19 should have access to a test, and I’m proud of our statewide testing efforts throughout this pandemic," Evers said. "We also know that getting to a health care provider or a community testing site isn’t easy for everyone, and that’s why we are excited to offer this new option to make testing even more accessible for folks across our state."

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Wisconsinites can order a collection kit online and have it shipped to their home. The kit will include detailed instructions on how to collect the saliva, which includes a video call with a testing supervisor through Vault Medical Services, and can be shipped back via UPS dropbox to the lab for processing.

"This is an important tool to provide easy access to COVID-19 testing," DHS Secretary-designee Andrea Palm said. "As we roll out the COVID-19 vaccine to more Wisconsinites, we need to continue testing, contact tracing and public health measures such as wearing a mask and social distancing."

More information can be found on the Wisconsin COVID-19 testing webpage.