The County Press

Free COVID-19 tests available to be shipped to Lapeer County homesFree Access

Four tests per household may be ordered at COVIDTests.gov


LAPEER COUNTY — The federal website where Lapeer County residents and Michiganders can request free COVID-19 tests is now accepting orders. The website COVIDTests.gov is providing tests at no cost, including free shipping. It was scheduled to launch Wednesday, Jan. 19, but it went live today.

At-home, rapid COVID-19 tests are available at COVIFTests.gov, with every household eligible for four free tests that will be shipped directly to homes. Packages will be sent through U.S. Postal Service First Class mail. Orders are expected to ship within 7-12 days.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at-home testing when experiencing COVID-19 systems including fever, cough, sore throat, respiratory symptoms and muscle aches, five days after a potential COVID-19 exposure, or as part of test-to-stay protocols in schools and workplaces. The tests are rapid antigen tests, not PCR tests. They can be taken anywhere, give results within 30 minutes and require no lab drop-off, according to the federal government website. The tests work whether or not you have COVID-19 symptoms or are up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines. They’re also referred to as self-tests or over-the-counter tests.

To date in Lapeer County (as of Jan. 14 according to the Michigan Dept. of Health and Human Services), a total of 116,225 diagnostic COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Lapeer County. There have been 14,399 confirmed cases, and 339 deaths as of Friday.

Editor’s note: The Lapeer County Health Dept. issues its weekly COVID-19 update report each Friday afternoon. The County Press will include further COVID-19 reporting in our Wednesday, Jan. 19 edition, including changes to COVID-19 procedures in Lapeer County school districts.