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More free COVID-19 home test kits to be made available

12/23/2021, 6 p.m.
The Richmond and Henrico health districts are making more free COVID-19 test kits available for people to use at home.
Users of the free COVID-19 rapid antigen at-home test kits are linked virtually by cellphone or computer with an eMed assistant who guides the user through the process.

The Richmond and Henrico health districts are making more free COVID-19 test kits available for people to use at home.

Test kits are available at any of the four health district vaccination hubs: Richmond Health Department Cary Street Clinic, 400 E. Cary St.; Henrico West Health Department Clinic, 8600 Dixon Powers Drive; Eastern Henrico Recreation Center, 1440 N. Laburnum Ave.; and Second Baptist Church of South Richmond, 3300 Broad Rock Blvd.

At-home test kits also are available at the health district’s resource centers at seven public housing complexes: Hillside Court Resource Center, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursdays; Southwood Resource Center, 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and Wednesdays; Creighton Court Resource Center, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; Whitcomb Court Resource Center, 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays; Gilpin Court Resource Center, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays; Mosby Court Resource Center, 1 to 3 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays; and Fairfield Court Resource Center, 2 to 4 p.m. Fridays.

Richmond Public Library branches and the Chesterfield County Public Library have been part of a distribution pilot project by the state Health Department, and will continue distributing home test kit when available. Plans are underway for kits to be distributed through the Henrico County Public Library.

Officials said last week that test kits also will be offered to community organizations to distribute to their members and those they serve.

Separately, the Richmond and Henrico health districts want to provide test results more rapidly to those who get tested for COVID-19 at health district events. Health officials will now offer results by text message or by phone call.

“We hope that the increased availability of at-home tests and quicker turnaround of testing results makes testing more accessible,” stated Jessica Coughlin, emergency manager for the Richmond and Henrico health districts. “Alongside vaccination, testing remains one of the critical tools at preventing spread of COVID-19.”

Health officials urged people to get vaccinated or get their booster shot before the holidays to protect themselves and their loved ones from the spread of both the delta variant and the highly transmissible omicron variant of the virus.

Details: www.vdh.virginia.gov/richmond-city/richmond-andhenrico-area-covid-19-testing-sites/