COVID-19 Testing Guidance

Testing guidelines

• COVID-19 Testing Guidance, updated June 14, 2021
• Pooled Testing - Frequently Asked Questions, update June 14, 2021

BinaxNOW Antigen tests are rapid antigen tests which can be performed at point-of-care to supplement molecular testing and help mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more: 

• BinaxNOW Antigen Test General Study Publication
• BinaxNOW Antigen Test K-12 Pooling Study Preprint

Guidance for municipal leaders

The Command Center has developed a guidance for municipal leaders looking to establish testing programs in their communities.

• Guidance and FAQ for Municipal Testing Programs
• Model Standing Order for COVID-19 Testing
• User Guide for COVID-19 At-Home Testing Program

Related: Cluster and Rapid Response Testing FAQ

Guidance for laboratories

The Department of Public Health (DPH) has outlined guidance for clinical laboratories regarding COVID-19, specimen collection, testing, and submission to the Massachusetts State Public Health Laboratory: COVID-19 Guidance: Massachusetts State Public Health Laboratory FAQ PDF | Doc

Guidance for health care provider settings

• DPH Guidance, May 13, 2021: BinaxNOW Rapid Point of Care COVID-19 Testing for Provider Settings

Guidance for on-site testing locations

To all healthcare sites or facilities that are currently performing or planning to perform COVID-19 testing on-site: please be aware that this is a notifiable disease and results must be reported to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health within 24 hours. Contact [e-mail]  at the Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences for assistance.

What to report:

• Isolation of coronavirus from a clinical specimen; or
• Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in a clinical specimen using a molecular amplification detection test; or
• Detection of SARS-CoV-2 antigen in a clinical specimen; or
• Detection of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in serum, plasma, or whole blood.
• All results (positive, negative, equivocal) should be reported.

DPH Guidance: 

• COVID-19 Indoor Testing Guidance | Doc, November 25
• COVID-19 Testing Guidance | Doc, August 7
• Notification to Test Contacts Regardless of Symptoms | Doc, May 11
• COVID-19 Testing Ordering and Resulting Guidance | Doc, August 1

Guidance for long-term care facilities

BinaxNOW Antigen tests are rapid antigen tests which can be performed at point-of-care to supplement molecular testing and help mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Information:  BinaxNOW Antigen Test Study Preprint | Graph
• DPH Guidance, March 30, 2021: Updated BinaxNOW Rapid Point of Care COVID-19 Testing for Long-Term Care Facilities
  • This document replaces the January 31, December 29, December 7 and November 23 memorandum.
  • Long-Term Care BinaxNOW Maximum Order Volumes (updated March 30, 2021)
• Request form: Long-term Care Facility Resource Request Form for BinaxNOW 

Guidance for community health centers and community hospitals

• DPH Memo, updated May 4, 2021: BinaxNOW Rapid Point of Care COVID-19 Testing for Community Health Center and Community Hospitals
  • This document replaces the January 5, 2021 and December 7, 2020 memorandum. 

Guidance for congregate care surveillance testing

On May 12, 2021, EOHHS issued revised surveillance testing guidance for organizations that operate residential congregate care programs, veteran’s shelters, and residential schools. EOHHS Congregate Care Surveillance Testing Guidance (this guidance replaces the March 22, 2021 guidance)

• FAQ for the EOHHS Congregate Care Surveillance Testing Guidance
• Guidance for Abbott BinaxNOW in Congregate Care
• FAQ and contracting documents for the EOHHS Surveillance Testing program prior to December 17th update

Guidance for schools

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), the Department of Public Health (DPH), and the Command Center have developed guidance for schools looking to establish pooled and/or symptomatic testing:

• Guidance and Resources for K-12 BinaxNOW Symptomatic Testing
• Guidance and Resources for K-12 Pooled Testing

Asymptomatic testing guidance

If your lab partner or existing supplier is not able to provide you with sufficient test kits to maximize daily capacity, you can request kits (swabs and transport media) from the Department of Public Health by filling out this form: Resource Request Form for Testing Supplies and submitting it via email to your Regional HMCC. Regional HMCC contact info can be found on Learn about HMCC. Please consult with your lab before requesting kits to ensure you request the proper supplies.

Testing supplies

For swab and medium testing supplies, Fill out and download the testing supplies request form and submit it via email to your Regional HMCC.

Additional resources:

• What you need to know about testing for COVID-19 in Massachusetts
• Visit Find a COVID-19 Test to search testing sites
• Learn about the free drive-through Express COVID-19 Testing Sites in Massachusetts

Testing options for Entities

Entities include employers, long term care and assisted living residences, homeless shelters, etc.

Individuals who have a COVID-19 symptom or are a close contact of an individual who is COVID-19 positive should be tested. This testing should be covered by insurance. Please visit our Find a COVID-19 Test locator to find a convenient testing site.

Some entities, such as employers or long term care and assisted living residences, may wish to make testing available for asymptomatic individuals with no known exposure. This type of testing is unlikely to be covered by insurance and will need to be paid for privately. Many community health centers (CHCs) and local hospitals (listed above under “Testing Sites”) are providing this kind of testing. In addition, the providers below have indicated that they offer this type of testing. Please check the boxes below and click “Search” to determine which provider(s) may fit your needs. When your results are shown, click the name of the provider to see more information about them and how to contact them.

Testing at Independent Senior Housing: Frequently Asked Questions

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