iHealth At Home COVID Test Tutorial

Below you will find guidance on next steps that will help keep our school community healthy and safe. The information below reflects the expertise of the Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), Test & Trace Corp (T2), and the New York City Department of Education (DOE).

What Happens Now?

● Your child will come home with a COVID test kit today. The kit contains two tests.

          ○ Please help your child take the first test on the day they receive the home test. If the test is negative, your child can continue to attend school.

          ○ Please help your child take the second test on the fifth day after exposure.

● Your child may continue to attend school as long as your child receives negative test results both times and does not experience any symptoms of COVID-19.

● If your child has COVID-like symptoms or feels ill, please have your child isolate and take the 2nd home test. If your child has recovered from COVID in the last 90 days, they will not receive a test kit. They may continue to attend school unless they develop COVID symptoms.

● If your child tests positive on either home test, you must notify your child’s school and your child must isolate for 10 days.

● If your child is in Pre-K, 3-K or LYFE, your child must quarantine for 10 days since their last exposure. Children who shared space with the individual who tested positive may test out of quarantine in order to return to their classrooms on the eighth day of quarantine. In order to do so, children should take a COVID-19 test on their fifth day of quarantine in order to re-enter class on the eighth day.

How do we stay healthy?

Vaccination is the most important tool we have to protect ourselves from COVID-19. All New Yorkers age 5 or older are eligible to be vaccinated for COVID-19. People who are between 5 and 17 years old are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine only; all older ages are eligible for all three vaccines. We encourage all eligible students to get vaccinated. Find a vaccine site today at https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov/. There is no cost to be vaccinated.

Vaccine booster shots are now available for all fully vaccinated people 16 and older. These shots boost your immunity from an initial vaccination series. A booster shot is recommended for any adult who received the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine at least five months ago, the second dose of the Moderna vaccine at least six months ago, or the one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago.

Please remember to follow these important actions to prevent COVID-19 transmission:

1. Stay home if sick (except to get essential medical care, including COVID-19 testing).

2. Wear a face covering to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

3. Practice healthy hand hygiene: Wash your hands often or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer; avoid touching your face; and cover your cough or sneeze with your arm, not your hands.

How do I use test kits distributed at school?

All test kits come with printed instructions, please follow these instructions when administering the test. You can also check your test kit and watch a video on how to use your test kit:

● ACON Flowflex: https://youtu.be/CtENzECCmG8

● Carestart: https://youtu.be/r6juU4wMz_g

● iHealth: https://youtu.be/_juFqYt25iI

For additional information, you can also visit the manufacturer’s websites.

· ACON Flowflex home kit: https://flowflexcovid.com/

· Carestart home kit: https://www.letsongo.com/ 

· iHealth home kit: https://ihealthlabs.com/

How can I stay updated?

We will continue to closely follow directions from public health experts and proactively update you on any measures we are taking. To ensure we can reach you via text and email, please create a New York City Schools Account (NYCSA) as soon as possible by visiting schools.nyc.gov/nycsa.

To help New Yorkers quarantine, the NYC Test + Trace Corps partners with community-based organizations to connect individuals to resources like food, medicine, and health care. To connect with resources, you can call 1-212-COVID19 (212-268-4319).