At-home COVID-19 testing now available in Burlington County

Burlington County residents are eligible for a new at-home coronavirus testing program that utilizes Rutgers University's saliva-based diagnostic test. 

The program allows residents to have a COVID-19 test kit shipped to their homes overnight. They then can schedule a telehealth visit with a health care worker who will oversee the testing process, ensuring the test recipient properly collects a saliva sample. 

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All Burlington County residents are eligible except children younger than age 6. Students and people working in the county also qualify for the tests. 

To request a test, people must register online. They will be emailed a testing code number and a link to request a test kit. They also will receive instructions for scheduling a telehealth visit and returning the test.

Test results are expected to be available within 72 hours.

Health insurance is not required to access an at-home test, but people with insurance are asked to provide their insurance information. That's because federal law requires all insurers to cover FDA-approved COVID-19 tests without charging out-of-pocket costs.

"We know testing is among the most critical tools at our disposal to prevent the spread of this horrible contagion, and with more and more of our residents returning to work and school, demand for easy access testing is going to increase," said Health Director Dr. Herb Conaway.

"At-home testing will help us meet demand with a faster, easier method. This is particularly important as the seasonal flu approaches and people spend more time indoors and the expected increase in COVID-19 activity arises."

The testing program is a result of a partnership between the county, Vault Medical Services of New Jersey, the Rutgers Clinical Genomics Laboratory and the state. 

Passaic County is the only other New Jersey county that has launched a similar at-home testing program. 

More than 8,000 Burlington County residents and workers have been administered COVID-19 tests since the pandemic began in March, according to county officials. 

"We were among the very first counties to launch a testing program because we knew it would be essential for our residents' health and safety," said Dan O’Connell, a Burlington County Freeholder. "We feel the same about this testing expansion."

The county has confirmed 7,343 coronavirus cases and 461 COVID-19 deaths since the public health crisis began.