With high COVID numbers throughout the nation and the state, the demand for COVID-19 testing is equally high. We discussed options for testing in our Testing Update last week. With the current surge however, you may want to prepare and proactively order a free, at-home COVID-19 saliva test available thru a partnership of the NJ Department of Health and Vault Medical Services.
All New Jersey residents 14 years or older can sign up to receive the test that can be administered at home.
The saliva collection test for COVID-19 has the same effectiveness as the nasal swab test. It is not an antibody test, but rather is designed to determine if an individual is currently infected with COVID-19 and has the potential to infect others. This test is performed under the supervision of a Vault healthcare provider through a video telehealth visit, eliminating the risk of person-to-person exposure to the virus.
To order your free test kit visit learn.vaulthealth.com/nj. Once you create an account providing some basic information, you can request a county-funded test kit. The kit will be shipped overnight with instructions on how to schedule a Zoom telehealth meeting with a certified healthcare worker who will virtually instruct you about how to properly collect a saliva sample for shipment to the Rutgers Clinical Genomics Laboratory for testing.
When complete, the test can be sent back in a prepaid package via UPS next-day shipping. You will receive your test results 24 to 48 hours after your sample arrives at the lab. If your test is positive, or if you have symptoms, call your health care professional. Any questions can be directed to
You will not be charged for the test, and you will not be asked for your credit card information.
How to Take the Test
To take the test, you will need to connect with a Vault collection supervisor online by logging into your online Vault patient portal with the email address or username you used to order the test kit. You will then enter Vault's virtual waiting room during the hours listed below. No appointments needed.
- Sunday-Thursday: 8am – 8pm EST
- Friday: 8am – 6pm EST
- Saturday: 8am – 6pm EST
You will then connect with a collection supervisor on Zoom (download the free version here).
Do not open your collection kit before your Zoom session, and DO NOT eat, drink, smoke, or chew anything for 30 minutes before taking the test.
In order to get your results, you must collect your saliva sample while being observed by a Vault collection supervisor.
Wait times for a clinician are generally 15 minutes or less. Wait times are longest over the noon hour.
Due to nationwide inventory constraints, Vault has capped the number of daily requests for New Jersey to 30,000 per day. If you try to request a kit and get a message stating that the cap has been reached for the day, please try again the next morning.
You may also find that due to the high demand and shipping staff absences due to COVID, the test may take a little longer to arrive in the mail.
For more information or help ordering a kit, visit learn.vaulthealth.com/nj/.