Do I Need to Report the Results of My At-Home COVID-19 Test?
At-home COVID-19 tests are now readily available. The federal government has been mailing four free test kits to American households. You can also pick up rapid tests at your neighborhood pharmacy. The cost is covered by health insurance. So, with more people now testing at-home rather than in health centers and doctors’ offices, who is tracking the results? News@Northeastern discovered the answer is — no one!
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says you do not need to report the results from your at-home COVID-19 test to local health authorities. BUT it strongly encourages people to inform their personal health-care providers if they test positive. You also need to follow CDC guidelines on isolation and quarantining.
Some states and counties are trying to track results with special phone lines, websites and apps. That’s because only about three out of every ten positive at-home tests have been reported.
An even more surprising statistic is that 37 percent of people questioned said they had never taken a COVID-19 test, either antigen (at-home or rapid test) or polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
The Seniors Trust is committed to improving the lives of seniors by working to improve Social Security. It wants to see Congress pass the Social Security Expansion Act. This landmark piece of legislation will provide bigger monthly Social Security benefits, establish a more realistic cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for seniors, and guarantee the long-term solvency of the Social Security program.
