June 15, 2022
Kirksville, MO 6/15/22 – The Adair County Health Department is making it even easier for residents to pick up a free COVID-19 home test kit. From 10 a.m. to noon every Tuesday beginning June 28, as long as supplies last, residents can pull into the south side of the Health Department parking lot at 1001 S. Jamison Street. Remain in your vehicle and call 660-665-8491 and a free kit, containing two home tests, will be delivered curbside.
“Testing continues to be a critical part of keeping the spread of COVID-19, particularly of the Omicron variants which are so easily transmitted,” said Jim LeBaron, Adair County Health Department administrator. “You don’t need to have symptoms of COVID-19 to get a free kit or to use it. Testing is an important screening tool that reduces the likelihood of transmission,” he said.
Households can keep the home tests on hand to use as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
- If you experience any symptoms of COVID-19;
- At least five days after you know or suspect you have had close contact with someone with COVID-19;
- As a screening tool for congregate settings such as the workplace, schools, churches, parties, and family reunions;
- As a screening tool immediately before travel and after you return; and,
- When asked by a healthcare provider or public health official to test for the virus.
“If you do have symptoms or think you might have been exposed, you can test yourself quickly and easily,” LeBaron said. “If you’re getting ready to travel to a family reunion or to go on vacation, it’s good practice to test yourself as closely to your departure time as possible. When you return, wear a mask in public and test yourself three to five days after you return home.”
“The tests are free and are so easy to use that there really isn’t an excuse to not test yourself right before travel and after you return home,” LeBaron said. “It helps protect the people around you.”
Because so many residents are using home tests instead of being tested at a provider location, cases of COVID-19 are underreported. The Adair County Health Department asks that any resident who tests positive at home call them at 660-665-8491 or use the “Contact Us” form on the Health Department website to report a positive result.
