Southwest Montana News

Governor Greg Gianforte has announced the acquisition of approximately 650,000 rapid at-home COVID-19 tests for distribution across Montana. These tests will be provided free of charge to residents through local public health departments.

In a statement, Gov. Gianforte emphasized the importance of testing amid the current surge driven by the omicron variant. "As the state of Montana, like the rest of the nation, faces a new surge with the omicron variant, testing is a critical tool to help keep people safe with early detection," he said. He criticized what he described as "the Biden administration’s continued failure to deliver on its promise of free at-home rapid tests for Americans."

The governor ordered these tests from Medea Medical Products at a cost of approximately $5.5 million, which equates to about $8.46 per test.

The state expects to receive the shipment during the week of January 24. Following their arrival, both the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services and Montana Disaster and Emergency Services will coordinate with local public health departments for distribution. Further details on obtaining these tests will be shared once they are distributed.

The CareStart tests are designed for self-administration and provide results within 10 minutes.

Gov. Gianforte's actions come in response to what he views as federal shortcomings in providing adequate testing resources during this period. In September, President Biden committed to distributing 300 million rapid tests nationwide; however, that initiative has not yet been realized. Similarly, plans announced in December for purchasing 500 million rapid tests and establishing a delivery system have not been fulfilled. President Biden acknowledged these challenges last month, stating that “nothing’s been good enough.”