Following the spike of Covid-19 cases at Knox, Student Senate Health and Wellness Chair, senior Abigail King, announced the availability of $5 at-home Covid-19 tests at C-store, the campus convenience store in Post Hall.

“I asked if they (Knox College Health Services)  could make Covid-19 tests more accessible,” King said.

The tests in the C-store can only be bought using credit/debit card or cash, as dining or flex dollars cannot be used to purchase them.

Health Services closes at 4:30 PM on weekdays and is closed all day on weekends. However, the C-store is open till 11PM on weekdays and till 10PM on weekends, which means students are able to purchase tests for a longer period of time, and get tested if they get sick over the weekend.

“These tests are necessary for students who want to get tested when Health Services is closed,” King said.

The test’s packaging states it is easy to use,  provides quick results and is authorized by the FDA for use in emergency situations only. It also states that the results can be unreliable and give a false negative.

Students can also obtain at-home tests from Health Services when requested, but are limited to one test per week.

“My close contacts got really scared obviously when I tested positive for Covid-19, and they tested right away but then couldn’t get another test from Health Services later that week when they wanted to retest,” said junior Morgana Simpson, who tested positive for Covid-19 before tests were made available in the C-store.

Simpson appreciates the new ability to access tests outside of Health Services hours.

“It’s nice to be able to get them from Health Services, but there are needs for them outside of the restrictions and hours of Health Services so easier access would be great especially for those situations,” Simpson said.