Health-care workers, activists say White House plan for free Covid-19 tests shortchanges some rural communities

Critics say President Biden's plan to send out four free coronavirus tests to each household overlooks some of the hardest-hit areas, including rural areas, Silvia Foster-Frau reports for The Washington Post. In some cases, it's because there are more residents living in multi-generation housing, meaning far more than four residents per household. Some would have to go without, critics note.

"In eastern Nevada, the predominantly Latino town of West Wendover also has struggled with the four-tests-per-residence rule," Foster-Frau reports. "There, the common practice in rural areas of using post office boxes instead of mailboxes has had an unintended consequence in the community of 4,500. To save money, multiple families sometimes share one P.O. box, even if they don’t live in the same household." That renders them ineligible to receive more tests.

"Some public-health officials and activists said it would have made more sense to send the tests to community organizations where workers could help make sure those who need the tests get them," Foster-Frau reports. "They also would be able to show residents how to properly use them. Using community and faith-based organizations would help break down the barriers that are preventing people from getting tested, they said. These organizations are typically trusted by their communities and in many cases have already been working to educate residents about the virus. Their staffers often speak the residents’ language and share similar life experiences."

One public-health official said that relying on community-health organizations would have another benefit: many uninsured or underinsured residents who have come to a local primary-care organization for coronavirus vaccinations or testing found out while they were there that they had unaddressed health issues such as asthma or high blood pressure, Foster-Frau reports.