HARTFORD, Conn. (WTIC Radio) - To start the new year with defenses in place against the holiday COVID-19 surge, the state is set to deliver three million COVID-19 at-home rapid tests and six million N95 masks across its municipalities and grade schools.
Starting this Thursday, the state will begin distributing one million tests to municipalities and their health departments. Soon after, the state will distribute another two million tests to K-12 schools statewide.
Covering the approximately $18.5 million cost with federal funds, the state is sending out the tests via iHealth kits.
According to state officials, each iHealth kit has two tests. The state will distribute 500,000 of these kits to municipal leaders for the general public and one million kits to the schools.
Municipal leaders will be responsible for how the distribution will be done for their community, state officials said.
State officials will also be allocating a portion of the supply meant for the general public to communities that may have a more challenging time accessing the resources.
Those communities include homeless shelters, food banks and houses of worship, state officials said.
"Per the CDC recommendations, if your self-test yields a positive result, please stay home or isolate for 10 days and wear a mask. There is no need to obtain a follow up PCR test," State Public Health Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani said.
Given the current high demand for testing, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal is calling on the Biden Administration to implement the Defense Production Act and boost the manufacturing of at-home COVID-19 tests.
The Department of Public Health is also working to create 7 more community tests on top of its 23 state-sponsored site, state officials said.