At-Home Coronavirus Testing Kits Sent To Arvada Teachers

ARVADA, CO — Colorado launched an at-home testing program for educators, and Arvada was one of four cities to get the rapid test kits hand delivered by Gov. Jared Polis this week.

Colorado is one of several states chosen to partner with Abbot BinaxNOW to expand the use of the company's at-home tests. Our state bought 2 million test kits, which are being delivered to the homes of teachers, staff and selected students from hundreds of participating public and private schools across Colorado.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment partnered with Amazon and eMed, one of the nation’s largest digital health providers, to send the tests to teachers' homes. The educators are required to take the tests with a medical professional through a telehealth appointment, officials said.

The tests can be used for people who are symptomatic, those who have been exposed to COVID-19 and for asymptomatic people for screening purposes.

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Developed by Abbott, the BinaxNOW test received Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to be used with telehealth guidance, provided by eMed, for self-collection from people ages 15 and older and for adult collection from children ages 4 to 14.

The Polis administration aims to make the tests available through the end of this school year to all districts and private schools that opt into the program. The state purchased the first 2 million test kits for schools to use within a month, but for the remaining months of the school year, the kits will need to be either purchased through a cost-share agreement between schools and the state or purchased with a reimbursement by the federal government, Colorado officials said.