Where To Get A Free COVID Test In Or Near The Caldwells (UPDATED)

THE CALDWELLS, NJ — As New Year’s Eve approaches, residents of the Caldwells may be wondering where to get a COVID test.

While pharmacies, government clinics, doctor's offices and the state have offered places to get tested for free, demand has increased amid the rise of the omicron variant and holiday gatherings.

But there are new ways to get or find a test, including a new state website (see link below). And the CDC says it's opening a new statewide testing center.

Here are some of the options:

First off, Essex County is still holding free COVID-19 testing at its three vaccine centers in Livingston, Newark and West Orange. The centers are open to any person who lives, works, or goes to school in the county. Learn more or register for a vaccination/test here.

However, if you’re planning on getting a test at one of those three centers for the new year, you might want to hurry. Essex County offices and COVID vaccination/testing locations will be closed Friday, Dec. 31 through Sunday, Jan. 2 for the holiday. The county has also been offering rotating mobile testing and vaccination sites.

Always double check whether the site is open and whether you are eligible before heading over.

New State Site

New Jersey health officials have launched a website where people can search for COVID-19 testing facilities near them or across the state. Users are advised to double check the accuracy of the hours, and eligibility, by calling the site before heading over. Go to the site here.

Tests are available to anyone in New Jersey; insurance isn’t needed.

In addition, the New Jersey Department of Health and Vault Medical Services have partnered to offer a an at-home COVID-19 saliva test kit that is available to every New Jerseyan who thinks they need a test. However, tests have run out some days because of demand. Learn more here. To order the kit, click here.

According to the state website:

“The kit will be shipped through UPS with next-day delivery. Once received, you will connect over Zoom with a Vault healthcare professional who will walk you through the test and answer your questions. When complete, the test can be sent back in a prepaid package via UPS next-day shipping. You will receive your test results 24 to 48 hours after your sample arrives at the lab. You will not be charged for the test, and you will not be asked for your credit card information.”

The state says: You can find a list of free public testing locations in New Jersey by county at https://t.co/bQkjIBA6hu, with additional sites to be added.
— NJDOH (@NJDeptofHealth) December 21, 2021

Eight NJ Emergency Rooms Are Full

Medical professionals say that breakthrough COVID-19 cases caused by the new omicron variant — infections among the vaccinated — are less common among people who have received their third vaccination shot, and that for vaccinated people who do get the virus, symptoms are often less severe. But public health officials are concerned that hospitalizations are increasing nationwide, partly due to the delta variant.

In New Jersey right now, eight hospital emergency rooms (including some pediatric) are on "divert status" due either to patient volume or short staff. Medical professionals are worried about what will happen in the next few weeks.

A study done of COVID deaths in Texas hospitals over this past fall determined that unvaccinated people were 20 times more likely to die of COVID than vaccinated people.

In America, more than, 816,000 people have died of COVID since the start of the pandemic. The daily death rate is highest right now in these states: Alaska, Michigan, New Jersey, Arizona, and Maine.

Patch Editor Eric Kiefer contributed reporting for this story.

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