Hospital To End Asymptomatic COVID Testing

The Nantucket Cottage Hospital will no longer provide elective COVID-19 testing for asymptomatic patients beginning on April 1. NCH Public Information Officer James Lanza said this change is in response to Massachusetts discontinuing the Stop the Spread testing initiative on Nantucket.

“We’ve seen a significant reduction of demand here on Nantucket for asymptomatic COVID-19 testing since its peak in January,” said Jeanette Ives Erickson, Nantucket Cottage Hospital's interim president and CEO . “While the state has chosen to discontinue this initiative, there are still multiple free resources for patients seeking testing here on Nantucket.”

The hospital will continue to provide free COVID-19 testing for symptomatic patients through its outpatient clinic. Patients of any age or vaccination status with one or more symptoms of COVID-19 can schedule a COVID-19 test at Nantucket Cottage Hospital by calling (508) 825-1000 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The federal government has made at-home rapid tests available to all residents through a web-based platform, which you can access by clicking here.

The government has made it a requirement that COVID-19 rapid at-home tests be covered by insurance. Health insurance companies will cover eight over-the-counter tests per covered individual per month.