Your Questions Answered
Here you will find answers to some of the most common questions about Project ACT. Choose one of the categories below to go to that section.
About the Program|Test Kits|Shipment|Testing|Digital Assistant|Privacy|Other
About the Program
The Rockefeller Foundation launched Project Access Covid Tests (Project ACT) to provide free at-home COVID-19 tests directly to vulnerable Americans.
In the initial phase, Project ACT offers households in selected communities in six states (Arkansas, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, and Ohio) access to free, rapid, at-home COVID-19 test kits.
To stop the spread of COVID-19, many of us need to get tested regularly—even if we don’t have symptoms. Along with vaccination, wearing a mask, hand washing, and physical distancing, frequent testing protects our families and friends, and is a great way to help in the fight against COVID-19.
At a time when too many people cannot access COVID-19 testing, Project ACT brings together partners from across society to provide tests to more people who need them the most.
It is important that Americans at highest risk for COVID-19 know that they will have regular access to testing. Too many still face obstacles to getting tests at all—an issue that will only grow if we don’t work together to address it head-on.
This is not a one-off or twice-off program. After this initial phase with six states, The Rockefeller Foundation will work with states to sustain and increase the supply of tests into communities.
The Rockefeller Foundation provided the initial $7.45 million investment to launch Project ACT with six pioneering State Health Departments: Arkansas, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, and Ohio.
This includes the costs for 1 million iHealth Covid-19 Antigen Rapid Tests from test manufacturer iHealth Labs, Inc., and the logistics and distribution associated with this program managed by health technology company CareEvolution and Amazon.com. iHealth Labs also covered the cost of the initial freight shipping and provided a 10% donation for an additional 100,000 tests.
The program has now expanded to other select communities.
Test Kits
If you are a resident of a community where Project ACT distribution is ongoing, order your tests online. They will arrive within 1-2 weeks. The contact information (name, address, phone number) requested for test kit delivery will not be shared outside the program. If you have any issues with ordering or receiving your tests, please contact project-act@careevolution.com and include the order number provided by the online tool.
The Project ACT program is only for residents of selected communities at this time. Each State identified eligible communities using CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index combined with data on COVID-19 burden to identify areas at high-risk for COVID-19. Eligibility differs by State.
If you do not qualify at this time, you may contact your local health department for available resources in your area.
For questions related to the test itself or how to perform it, please contact the test manufacturer (located on the test kit box). You can find a test administration video below:
Shipment
Your package will arrive in Amazon packaging. Please make sure you've checked all recently received packages.
If it has been 48 hours since you were notified that your package was delivered and you still cannot locate it, please contact us (project-act@careevolution.com) and include your Order ID and shipping address.
Testing
Widespread testing helps to stop the spread of COVID-19 and identify potential outbreaks before they happen. Screening healthy people, staying on top of positive cases, identifying new outbreaks quickly, and being aware of how the virus spreads among people without symptoms, is a powerful tool in our efforts to suppress the virus.
If you’re healthy: Get tested for COVID-19 to make sure that you are not an asymptomatic carrier of the virus—that is, someone with the virus who doesn’t have any symptoms but can still spread it to others. According to the CDC, as many as 4 out of 10 people who have COVID-19 may not show symptoms. Asymptomatic spreaders are a major reason containing this virus has been so challenging.
If you’re sick: Another reason to get tested is that if you are in the early stages of a COVID-19 infection, detecting it early allows you to quickly isolate, rest and recuperate, monitor your symptoms, and if needed, seek medical care. It also allows contact tracers to begin tracking down anyone who may have been exposed.
Anyone age 2 and older can participate, regardless of vaccination status.
Prioritize frequent testing for those with the highest risk of getting COVID-19. These include:
- Frontline workers
- People present in group settings, like schools, nursing homes, or prisons
- People who have been or will be participating in large gatherings like concerts, weddings, religious gatherings, or conferences
- School-age children
Self-tests may be used if you have COVID-19 symptoms or have been exposed or potentially exposed to an individual with COVID-19.
Even if you don’t have symptoms and have not been exposed to an individual with COVID-19, using a self-test before gathering indoors with others can give you information about the risk of spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. This is especially important before gathering with unvaccinated people, including children, older individuals, those who are immunocompromised, or individuals at risk of severe disease.
- Consider using a self-test before joining indoor gatherings with others who are not in your household.
- If you have COVID-19 symptoms, test right away.
- If you have been exposed to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and do not have COVID-19 symptoms, test 3 to 5 days after the initial exposure, regardless of when you tested last. If you develop symptoms, test right away.
It is important to remember that a COVID-19 test is a one-time assessment, and will only show if you are infected at the time of the test. Even if you are fully vaccinated, everyday prevention measures such as hand washing and mask-wearing should be practiced, even after you have been tested.
More information about at-home tests can be found on the CDC's Self-Testing Guidance page.
If you have been exposed to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and do not have COVID-19 symptoms, test 3 to 5 days after the initial exposure, regardless of when you tested last. If you develop symptoms, test right away.
If you have any concerns about your health or symptoms, seek follow-up care from your healthcare provider. Additionally, if you think you might have COVID-19, stay home (except for medical care), isolate yourself, wear a mask around others, and avoid sharing personal household items. Learn how to isolate.
A positive test means that it is highly likely you have COVID-19 and could spread it to others. Seek follow-up care from your healthcare provider. Even if you have no symptoms and feel good, you should stay home (except for medical care), isolate yourself, wear a mask around others, avoid sharing personal household items, and wash or disinfect anything you touch. Please visit our About Testing page for detailed instructions.
You can also visit your health department’s website or call them for available resources in your area:
- For Arkansas residents, visit the COVID-19 Guidance for Getting Tested page.
- For Illinois residents, visit the COVID Treatment page.
- For Kansas residents, visit KDHE's COVID-19 site.
- For Maine residents, visit the DHHS COVID-19 Community Supports page for more information or call 211. Support is available in multiple languages.
- For Michigan residents, visit the Coronavirus page.
- For New Mexico residents, visit the COVID-19 Testing page.
- For North Carolina residents, visit NCDHHS's COVID-19 Testing page.
- For Ohio residents, visit the Rapid COVID-19 Testing page.
No. Soon after being infected, you may not have enough virus in your body for the test to find it. This is why frequent at-home testing is recommended. COVID-19 tests, just like pregnancy tests and flu tests, also have a small error rate or chance of giving a false negative result. Please visit our About Testing page for detailed instructions about what to do after a negative result.
We strongly encourage you to use the Digital Assistant to share your test results with the public health department. There are many benefits to you and to your community when you confidentially report your results to public health.
Digital Assistant
The Digital Assistant is a website to help you take the at-home COVID-19 tests and maintain a record of your results for yourself.
All you need to use the Digital Assistant is Internet access and a modern web browser. We recommend each member of your household participating in Project ACT use their smartphone to access the Digital Assistant.
All modern web browsers-recent versions of Google Chrome, Safari, and Firefox-are supported. While any device like a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet can be used to access the Digital Assistant, we strongly recommend using your smartphone. The important thing is to try to use the same device and browser each time you use the tool.
When prompted, please allow "cookies" to be used so your information is available to you from one day to the next on your browser. Any personal information you input on the Digital Assistant website will not be shared.
Use your web browser to find the Digital Assistant.
If you are using your smartphone at home and not connected to Wifi, the Digital Assistant, like any other website you access on your phone, will use your cellular data plan. The tool uses up much less of your data than other regular uses of your phone such as using Google Maps, accessing email, and using social media sites.
Privacy
Your privacy is a priority for Project ACT.
For online test kit orders, we need your name and address to be able to send your test kit to you. We will not share this information with anyone outside of this program. Providing your phone number is optional if you would like to receive text messages about test kit delivery and reminders about testing.
The Project ACT Digital Assistant captures general data about the frequency with which the Digital Assistant tool is used, any results recorded, and any images of test results you take using your smartphone camera. If you use the tool on behalf of yourself and a family member, you can choose a nickname to maintain a diary of your results individually for your convenience. The tool does not use any identifying information about you outside the program. Any data that is shared outside the program will be anonymous and not tied to your name, address, phone number, or any information that identifies you individually.
Optional Health Department Reporting
If you choose to participate in the optional public health reporting, you will be asked to share additional information that identifies you. This information, along with the results of your test, will be shared with the health department with your explicit permission.
No one will have access to your results unless you choose to share them. Data collected through the Project ACT Digital Assistant tool will be de-identified to make it anonymous and not traceable to you at any time now or in the future. Anonymous data may be shared with researchers and support teams working on the Project ACT initiative. Any data that is shared outside the program will be anonymous and not tied to your name, address, phone number, or any information that identifies you individually.
Optional Health Department Reporting
If you choose to participate in the optional public health reporting, you will be asked to share additional information that identifies you. This information, along with the results of your test, will be shared with the health department with your explicit permission.
CareEvolution is our trusted technology partner for the Project ACT program and the Digital Assistant. CareEvolution, based in the United States, has provided secure healthcare solutions for U.S. consumers since 2004. CareEvolution's MyDataHelps™ platform that hosts the Digital Assistant supports National Institutes of Health initiatives such as the Framingham Heart Study, RURAL, and the All of Us program. Some of the country's largest health plans, hospital systems, and community health information exchanges rely on CareEvolution's technologies for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of care delivered in the United States.
For more information, please visit www.careevolution.com.
All data is maintained in the United States.
CareEvolution has undergone rigorous third party independent verification of the processes and technologies it uses to manage the security and privacy of the information it manages. It meets the stringent FISMA (Federal Information Security Management Act) guidelines to protect information. CareEvolution regularly undergoes third-party audits and testing to assure it is meeting FISMA's strict security and privacy requirements.
Your privacy and the confidentiality and security of your data are critical to CareEvolution. Through the stringent standards outlined above, every reasonable effort is in place to keep your information safe and protect the confidentiality of your data; however, total confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. As with any technology solution, there is always a small risk of unauthorized access to or disclosure of your personally identifiable information.
Other
Can't find the answer you are looking for? We are here to help.
- For questions related to the test itself or how to perform it, please contact the test manufacturer (located on the test kit box).
- For questions about your health, please contact your healthcare provider. You can also visit your local health department's website or call them for available resources in your area.
- For all other questions, including test kit shipments and the Digital Assistant, please send a message to: project-act@careevolution.com.