The Utah Department of Health is offering free, at-home testing by mail to rural Utahns who think they may have COVID-19. The service also is open to Utahns who are unable to access the state’s community testing sites.
Patients who can’t visit a test site may receive a test if they have symptoms or were exposed to COVID-19, according to a statement from UDOH.
Eligible Utahns can sign up online to receive a PCR test in the mail. Results take about four days following registration. The PCR tests are processed by Fulgent Labs.
Meanwhile, the state is asking Utahns who require tests in order to travel to use two designated lanes at TestUtah test sites operated by Nomi Health — one at the UDOH office building in Salt Lake City, and the other at Dixie Technical College in St. George. Proof of travel, such as a boarding pass or itinerary, is required.
Three types of tests are offered at each site; travelers are responsible for ensuring the test they choose meets the requirements in their travel destination.
The tests are free of charge to Utah residents. Some destinations require testing to be done at specific providers, with QR codes for results and information about federal regulation of the lab, health officials noted; the Nomi travel sites are not providing those.
Patients who are traveling may also get tested at other sites, but some sites may require out-of-pocket payment, UDOH said. Other Nomi sites are providing tests to asymptomatic people, such as travelers, but the TestUtah website now instructs asymptomatic people to select PCR tests, which “may take a few days to get back.” Symptomatic patients may sign up for rapid antigen tests.
