Cinnaminson Residents Can Now Get Tested For Coronavirus At Home

CINNAMINSON, NJ — Cinnaminson residents can now get tested for the coronavirus at home under a new program introduced by Burlington County officials on Monday. All Burlington County residents, students and persons working in the county will be eligible for the at-home coronavirus tests under a partnership between the county, Vault Medical Services of New Jersey, the Rutgers Clinical Genomics Laboratory and the state.

Under the program, eligible residents will register online and be sent a home testing kit with instructions on how to collect a saliva sample and send it the Rutgers lab. Test results are expected to be returned within 72 hours.

To get a testing kit, visit www.homecovidtest.org to enroll. Children younger than 6 are ineligible for home testing.

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“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,” Burlington County Health Department Director Dr. Herb Conaway said. “At-home testing will help us meet demand with a faster, easier method. This is particularly important as the seasonal flu season approaches and people spend more time indoors and the expected increase in COVID-19 activity arises.”

According to the latest numbers provided by Burlington County officials, 307 cases of the coronavirus have been identified among Cinnaminson residents, with 28 confirmed deaths.

Countywide, there are 7,707 cases of the coronavirus with 477 confirmed deaths and 54 probable deaths. To date, more than 8,000 residents and workers have been administered coronavirus tests through the county’s testing program.

Burlington County was one of the first counties in the state to launch a coronavirus testing program when it began testing in March at a fixed testing site at the county Emergency Services Complex in Westampton. Testing will move to Rowan College at Burlington County on Tuesday. Read more here: Burlington County Moving Coronavirus Testing To County College

“From the very start of the pandemic, our board has taken a single-minded approach and mustered all our personnel, resources and energy towards helping our residents weather this unprecedented crisis,” Burlington County Board member Dan O’Connell, liaison to the Department of Health, said. “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. We feel the same about this testing expansion.”

When seeking a test, residents should have their health insurance card. Federal rules require the collection of insurance information to support the testing program. Under federal law, all forms of public and private insurance must cover FDA-approved coronavirus tests with no out-of-pocket costs to insured persons. Lack of insurance will not prevent you from using at-home coronavirus testing.

After eligibility is verified, residents will be emailed a testing code number and a link to Vault’s webpage to request a county-funded test kit. The kit will be shipped overnight with instructions on how to schedule a Zoom tele-health meeting with a certified health care worker who will virtually oversee and instruct the resident about how to properly collect a saliva sample for shipment to Vault and the Rutgers lab for testing.

Residents will be notified of test results via email within 72 hours, according to Vault, which has a similar home-based testing program established and running in Passaic County.

“We’re excited to begin this new partnership with Vault and Rutgers to offer home testing. We think this provides an easy and convenient option for our residents who need testing, either because of a work requirement or because their children have returned to school or even just for their own peace of mind,” Conaway said.

The county and Vault will also conduct mobile testing clinics at locations throughout the county. Dates and locations for mobile clinics will be announced at a later date. The state is providing funding for the county’s testing program from a portion of the state’s federal aid from the CARES Act.

Burlington County received no CARES Act money directly because its population was slightly below the federal law’s 500,000 population cutoff for direct funding.

However, Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration agreed to send Burlington County $3 million of its federal funding for testing and an additional $565,000 in reimbursement for other expenses directly related to the health crisis.

O’Connell said the county has continued to deliver services residents need and depend on without overburdening property taxpayers.

“From free testing for our residents and distributing food and protective equipment to offering loans to help small businesses, our County has done everything possible to help our families and residents,” O’Connell said. “We’re proud of our response, and even prouder that we managed it without overburdening our residents. Partnerships like this one will allow us to continue that service and beat back this virus.”

See related: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know