Peoria County among ‘vulnerable communities’ given access to 225K free, rapid COVID-19 tests

PEORIA (25 NEWS) - The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Friday that 225,000, rapid COVID-19 tests are now available to “vulnerable communities” in 14 counties, including Peoria.

Residents living in specific zip codes are eligible to order the self-administered COVID tests for home delivery through the AccessCovidTests.org website.

The zip codes for Peoria are 61602, 61605, and 61606.

The test kits are available on a first-come-first-served basis, with each kit containing five tests. Initially, there’s a limit of one kit per household, and it will take up to two weeks for delivery.

“Testing is still a critical component for slowing transmission of COVID-19 and helping prevent further infections,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike in a prepared statement.

“With readily available at-home testing, individuals can find out very quickly if they are positive and take action to isolate for five days while alerting those with whom they had close contact that they should also test,” Dr. Ezike said.

Readily available tests can help us chart a course for the new normal and help us learn how to coexist with COVID-19,” she added.

The state health department said it determined initial eligibility based on the Social Vulnerability Index, which looks at several factors in the areas of socioeconomic status, household composition and disability, minority status and language, and housing and transportation.

The self-administered test kits are available through PROJECT ACT (Project Access COVID Tests), which a new direct-to-consumer mail order program in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation, health care technology company CareEvolation, test manufacture iHealth Labs, Inc., and Amazon.com.