Colorado restaurant workers could soon get home COVID-19 testing kits for free as the state expands a program that started with teachers.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced this week it would expand the Binax At-Home program, which allows qualifying people to order kits to test themselves at home. The program originally was limited to staff who work with students in K-12 schools or early childhood centers.
The BinaxNow test looks for a protein on the outside of the coronavirus, and gives results in about a half-hour. It rarely gives false positives, but does have a higher rate of false negatives than tests that look for the virus’s genetic material, particularly in people who aren’t showing symptoms. That means that if the test is positive, the odds are very high that you have the virus. If the test is negative, you should still be cautious in case you’re actually infected.
After food service employees sign up and verify where they work, they can schedule a telehealth visit explaining how to use the kit and place their first order. Each kit includes six tests, which are supposed to be used every five days.
For more information, visit covid19.colorado.gov/covid-19-testing-at-home.
