Free community testing for COVID-19 continues.

The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations:

• Community Testing Center, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday through Wednesday, Richmond Raceway, Gate 7, 4690 Carolina Ave.

• Thursday, Feb. 3, 2 to 6 p.m. – Southside Plaza WIC Office, 509 E. Southside Plaza

• Friday, Feb. 4, 3 to 6 p.m. – Southwood Pool House, Southwood Parkway and Clarkson Road

All events will provide walk-up testing, though appointments can still be set for some by calling (804) 205-3501 or visiting www.rchd.com

Call the Richmond and Henrico COVID-19 Hotline at (804) 205-3501 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for more information on testing sites, or go online at vax.rchd.com.

The Virginia Department of Health also has a list of COVID-19 testing locations around the state at www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/covid-19-testing/covid-19-testing-sites.

Want a COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot?

The Richmond and Henrico health districts are offering free walk-up COVID-19 vaccines at the following locations:

• Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Community Vaccination Center, Arthur Ashe Jr. Athletic Center, 3001 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

• Thursday, Feb. 3, 1 to 3 p.m. – Richmond Health Department Cary Street Clinic, 400 E. Cary St., Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

• Sunday, Feb. 6, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. - Sacred Heart Center, 1420 McDonough St., Pfizer and Moderna.

• Tuesday, Feb. 8, Noon to 2 p.m. - Henrico East Health Department Clinic, 1400 N Laburnum Ave., Pfizer and Moderna; 4 to 6 p.m. - Southwood Pool House, 1601 Clarkson Road Apartment B, Pfizer and Moderna; 4 to 7 p.m. - Broad Rock Elementary, 4615 Ferguson Lane, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

• Wednesday, Feb. 9, 9 to 11 a.m. – Henrico West Health Department Clinic, 8600 Dixon Powers Drive, Pfizer and Moderna; 4 to 7 p.m. - Bellevue Elementary School, 2301 East Grace Street, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

• Thursday, Feb. 10, 1 to 3 p.m. – Richmond Health Department Cary Street Clinic, 400 E. Cary St., Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

Children ages 5 to 17 may only receive the Pfizer vaccine. Vaccinations and booster shots are available for all eligible of any age on a walk-in basis.

No appointment is needed, with the exception of the Sacred Heart event, with those interested directed to call Sacred Heart at 804- 230-4399 to schedule an appointment. People may schedule an appointment online at vaccinate.virginia.gov or vax.rchd.com, or by calling (804) 205-3501 or (877) VAX-IN-VA (1-877-829-4682).

VaccineFinder.org and vaccines.gov also allow people to find nearby pharmacies and clinics that offer the COVID-19 vaccine and booster.

The Chesterfield County Health District is offering free testing at the following locations:

• Monday through Thursday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. - the Chesterfield Fairgrounds, 10300 Courthouse Rd., Gate 4.

• Wednesday, Feb. 9, 3 to 5 p.m. - Faith & Family Church Community Center 7900 Walmsley Blvd.

Walk-ins are welcome at the Fairgrounds testing events, with the event following state testing guidelines and the last walk-in welcomed at 5:30 p.m. Those looking to schedule an appointment can do so at vase.vdh.virginia.gov/testingappointment.

Vaccines and booster shots at available at the following location:

• Community Vaccination Center, Rockwood Shopping Center (in the former Big Lots store), 10161 Hull Street Road, Midlothian, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are encouraged by going to www.vaccines.gov or call (877) VAX-IN-VA. Appointments are required for children ages 5 to 11.

Those who are getting a booster shot should bring their vaccine card to confirm the date and type of vaccine received.

Virginia’s drop in cases this week coincided with another snowstorm, with the public preparing for expected winter weather over the weekend weeks earlier.

Statewide, lawsuits continue to challenge Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin’s repeal of the state mask mandates, with the impact of other changes in the state vaccine mandate leading to shifts in safety guidelines in colleges and universities across Virginia, prompting a mixed response from students and staff.

On Tuesday, Pfizer filed with the Food and Drug Administration for the emergency use authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of six months to four years old. A two-dose regimen is currently planned for approval, with research into whether a third dose will be necessary still ongoing, and authorization is expected to be approved by the end of February.

A total of 6,678 new cases of COVID-19 were reported statewide Wednesday for the 24-hour period, contributing to an overall state total of 1,558,383 cases of coronavirus since the pandemic’s outbreak. As of Wednesday, there have been 447,556 hospitalizations and 16,412 deaths statewide. The state’s seven-day positivity rate dropped to 23.5 percent on Wednesday. Last week, the positivity rate was 29.1 percent.

On Wednesday, state health officials reported that 70 percent of the state’s population has been fully vaccinated, while 78.8 percent of the people have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

State data also showed that over 2.6 million people in Virginia have received booster shots or third doses of the vaccine.

Among those ages 5 to 11 in Virginia, 269,683 children have received their first shots, accounting for 37.2 percent of the eligible age group in the state, while 209,234 children are fully vaccinated and 210 have received a booster shot or third dose. As of Wednesday, less than 125,000 cases, 920 hospitalizations and eight deaths have been recorded among children.

State data also show that African-Americans comprised 22.6 percent of cases statewide and 23.5 percent of deaths for which ethnic and racial data is available, while Latinos made up 12.4 percent of cases and 5.6 percent of deaths.