Pilot COVID-19 saliva at-home test includes Kittson County

Minnesota Department of Health announced Thursday, Oct. 22, a pilot of the COVID-19 Test at Home saliva program.
Minnesotans in two dozen counties or tribal nations will be able to order a saliva test online, to perform in the comfort of their own home. These tests are available in select service areas free of charge to any Minnesotan who believes they need to be tested, including those who are asymptomatic. It will soon be available to all Minnesotans.
The pilot Test at Home program is available to residents of these counties: Kittson, Rock, Le Sueur, Beltrami, Wilkin, Carver, Nobles, Wright, Dakota,  Mower, Becker, Kandiyohi, Crow Wing, Cook, Aitkin, Steele, Itasca, Douglas, Lyon, Pine, Otter Tail, Swift, Pennington; and Red Lake Nation.
These places selected for the initial pilot represent geographically diverse areas of the state, prioritizing locations that do not currently have a saliva testing location or where community testing events have been limited.
Through the mail order program, Minnesotans can order a saliva test online to be shipped to their home. They perform the test by spitting into a small tube, under the supervision of a health care professional through a video telehealth visit. Once completed, the test is shipped to the state’s new saliva lab in Oakdale, Minn., where results are emailed to the person in 24-48 hours.
Participants will be asked for their health insurance information so the state can bill their insurance company on their behalf. If a person is uninsured or for any reason insurance does not cover some or all of the cost, the state will cover the difference so testing remains completely free to everyone.
Visit https://www.  health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/testsites/athome.html.