With in-person health services limited due to COVID-19, Greater Than AIDS and Walgreens today announced a new program to provide 10,000 OraQuick® In-Home HIV Test kits to support expanded testing options in high-need areas. Local health agencies and community-based organizations will distribute the FDA-approved, self-administered tests at no cost to those unable to get tested in person.
A record 325+ community partners, including health departments and HIV service organizations, in 215 cities in 47 states had signed on to provide free HIV testing in Walgreens stores across the country as part of the 2020 Greater Than AIDS/Walgreens National HIV Community Partnership when the in-store activation was put on hold due to COVID-19. These community partners — including those in the 48 counties in the Federal Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America — will be prioritized to receive the free HIV self-tests through this program.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued new information about the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test to support wider use, and a Dear Colleague Letter from the CDC in May encourages offering HIV self-testing to PrEP clients during COVID-19. Quarterly HIV testing is required as part of the prescribing protocols for PrEP, the HIV prevention pill.
Read the full press release here, and visit Greater Than AIDS to learn more about the National HIV Community Partnership.