Southern 7 Health Department: COVID continues into winter

As cases of COVID-19 continue into the winter months, Southern 7 Health Department is encouraging Illinois residents to take advantage of preventative and treatment services available, including requesting free rapid tests to have on hand.

The Illinois Department of Public Health, IDPH, is helping residents of the state to prepare for a winter surge by offering 1 million free COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to Illinois residents in all Zip Codes, outside the City of Chicago, through a partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation’s public charity, RF Catalytic Capital and its Project ACT (Access COVID Tests) program.

A total of five, free rapid tests will be delivered to every household that requests them.

Households are eligible to request tests on a monthly basis while supplies last at https://www.accesscovidtests.org/ .

Public health officials said that after performing a data analysis, there are still quite a few Zip Codes (just over 300) in Illinois where no households have requested free tests. This includes all Zip Codes in Hardin, Johnson, Massac, and Pulaski counties, Southern 7 Health Department reported.   

Illinois residents can also benefit from free or low cost COVID-19 testing locations available throughout the state. For more information or to find a Southern 7 public health clinic or WOW van clinic in the region, visit southern7.org, download the Southern 7 app or call 618-634-2297, extension 9161.