Southwest Montana News

Governor Greg Gianforte, in collaboration with the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), has announced the availability of 650,000 at-home COVID-19 rapid antigen tests for residents of Montana. These tests are being provided free of charge to help detect COVID-19 early and reduce virus transmission.

The DPHHS began shipping these at-home tests this week to county and Tribal public health departments. Distribution is set to start as early as Sunday, January 30, 2022, unless otherwise specified.

Residents can visit hometest.mt.gov to find out where and when the tests will be available. The distribution was done on a per capita basis across local jurisdictions.

For any questions regarding distribution details, Montanans are advised to contact their local officials. Contact information is available on the website.

The CareStart tests can be self-administered with results ready in 10 minutes. Governor Gianforte initially announced plans to increase test access on January 13.

Guidance for reporting a positive test result is provided on the website. County and Tribal public health departments must also include an informational one-pager with each test kit. Positive results can be reported to DPHHS by scanning a QR code found on the one-pager or online.

Those who test positive should isolate for five full days and notify their healthcare provider and close contacts. If eligible to end isolation after five days, individuals should wear a mask around others for another five days and avoid indoor gatherings and travel. For detailed guidelines on isolation, quarantine, or identifying close contacts, further information is available online.

Vaccines remain widely accessible and are considered the most effective way to prevent severe illness or death from COVID-19. Vaccination sites can be located by visiting covidvaccine.mt.gov.