Butte-Silver Bow Health Department to distribute 16000 free COVID tests – ABC FOX Montana

BUTTE, Mont. — The Montana state government’s initiative to provide better access to rapid COVID testing is already seeing results in the Mining City.

In January, the state government secured 650,000 rapid at-home COVID tests for distribution across Montana. With 16,000 of those tests now in the hands of the Butte-Silver Bow Health Department, the rollout plan is already underway.

Beginning Wednesday, Feb. 2 and continuing until they’re out of stock, the county health department will be distributing the free tests on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Butte Plaza Mall, including Wednesday, Feb. 9.

With Silver Bow County’s COVID cases reaching an all-time high at the tail end of January, the demand for tests is high; the health department has already handed out 230 tests as of Tuesday, Feb. 8.

“There was a period of time nobody could get a test in any of the stores, or anything to be able to test at home; they had to go through a facility to get tested,” said Butte-Silver Bow Health Department operations divisions director Diane Regan. “At the time the tests were ordered, there was definitely a huge demand. We still have daily calls and requests to find at-home tests.”

Residents are limited to one box per household per week. Regan is hopeful that the health department can soon expand its hour for those who are working during the current distribution periods.

And while access to rapid testing has become easier in Butte-Silver Bow, it is not an alternative to vaccination. The health department still recommends getting vaccinated as the number one way to prevent the spread of the virus.