Local health officials are encouraging residents in O'Brien and Clay counties to take advantage of free COVID-19 tests now available to anyone who requests them from state and federal outlets.

The Biden Administration earlier this month purchased 1 billion at-home, rapid COVID-19 tests to give to Americans for free. A half-billion tests were made available for order on Jan. 19 and will be mailed directly to American households that order them online at http://www.covidtests.gov.

Households will receive four kits. O'Brien County Public Health Administrator Kim Morran said testing remains the best way to know the virus' presence in the community and limit its spread. Her office has free tests available to individuals who need them, and they can also be requested via the Iowa Department of Public Health's website, http://www.testiowa.com.

"We have seen high demand," she said. "We have plenty available right now, but I'm not sure if that will change."

Individuals who test positive at home should quarantine for five days at their residence. They can resume their normal activities if they are asymptomatic after five days with strict mask wearing for an additional five days. If they are unable to wear a mask, they should stay home for another five days.

Morran said while the accessibility of at-home tests is good locally, a lack of reporting among individuals who test positive has been common.

"We generally do not hear from people who test at home and are positive," she said. "We usually only hear from people who have questions regarding their positive result. We welcome people to call if they have any questions."

Clay County Public Health Coordinator Colette Rossiter noted area pharmacies and hospitals also have take-home tests available.

"Demand for testing has been extremely high in the past three weeks, correlating with a sharp increase in confirmed COVID-19 infections and positivity rates as the highly contagious Omicron variant sweeps through our area," she said. "Supplies have been more challenging."

O'Brien County's seven-day positivity rate on Tuesday night was 33 percent, while Clay County's was at 25.3 percent. Rossiter said it was important for positive individuals to take it upon themselves to control the spread.

"We believe it's a pretty safe assumption to anticipate that not all at-home test results are reported. Our main concern is that people are seeking the care they need and are following isolation precautions," she said. "While failure to report may skew numbers, the most important action is to take care of the individual's health needs."

Morran urged individuals who haven't received a vaccine or gotten their booster to do so as soon as possible.

"I would like to encourage people to get vaccinated," she said. "Even though there are breakthrough cases, if fully vaccinated your symptoms should be milder."