GREAT FALLS — Beginning Tuesday, February 1, 2022, community members are invited to pick up at-home COVID test kits at the Cascade City-County Health Department building in downtown Great Falls (115 4th Street South).
Tests will be available for pickup Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until noon. Walk-ins are welcome; you do not need to call ahead or make an appointment. The test kits are provided at no charge.
CCHD Deputy Heath Officer Bowen Trystianson explained, "They are convenient. Sometimes you wake up and you're not feeling well, and you begin to question what you should do. This is one tool you have in your tool kit to figure out 'Do I actually have Covid, should I really stay home, how long should I stay home for.'"
He continued, "We do have a number of respiratory illnesses going around right now, including RSV and influenza, but of course, Covid is wildly circulating as well, and so this sort of allows you to kind of get an idea of what you have. Nobody should really go into work, or go about their business when they're feeling ill, but this can give you an idea if its covid and if you need to stay out for five days or not."
Each test kit box contains two tests. CCHD says people should be sure to read and follow the test instructions carefully. If you have questions about test use, call CCHD for guidance.
Test results should be reported to the Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services by clicking here.
If you do not have internet access, call CCHD at 406-454-6950 to report a positive result.
The CCHD recommends that positive results be confirmed through a PCR test.
If demand is found to be significant, limits may be placed on the number of test kits available to each household.
