Living in high-risk regions allows some to order at-home Covid tests from government earlier
Area residents who want to obtain free, at-home Covid tests may begin ordering them today through the federal government, ahead of the Wednesday release date for the rest of the nation.
The White House Covid-19 response team is partnering with the National Association of Community Health Workers (NACHW) to get the tests to the hardest hit and highest risk communities first.
All of the counties in this region are considered among the high-risk communities.
The pre-order period for the at-home tests begins Wednesday for most of the nation. However, residents in certain ZIP codes that correspond to the highest Covid-19 risk may begin requesting those tests today. There are two ways to order the tests. One way is by visiting the website, www.nachw.org/covidtests, and the other is by calling 1-800-2320233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489).
The NACHW website will ask people to enter their ZIP code to get access to the official form. The agency has compiled a list of ZIP codes in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control, which includes nearly 12,000 ZIP codes with the highest social vulnerability index scores.
The eligible ZIP codes in St. Francis County are Forrest City, 72335; Colt, 72326; Heth, 72346; Palestine, 72372; Wheatley, 72392; Widener, 72394 and Hughes, 72348. Residents in Lee, Cross, Monroe, Woodruff, Phillips and Crittenden counties are also eligible to begin ordering the tests today.
Those who receive the link but do not live in one for the identified ZIP codes will be prompted to return to the site on Wednesday to order their tests.
The federal government is planning to distribute 500 million of the free, at-home tests,
(Continued from Page 1) and each package ordered through the agency will contain four tests.
“In the spirit of equity, we’re hoping that a little bit of lead time before the rush of preorders on Wednesday will help us to get access for some of the communities who have suffered the most during this pandemic,” said Dr. B. Cameron Webb, a senior policy advisor with the White House Covid-19 response team said in an email regarding the early start for certain areas. “I know it’s a short window of time to get this out early, but our hope is that every minute and every day counts.”