Palm Beach County To Purchase 20,000 At-Home COVID Test Kits

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Palm Beach County Commissioners have agreed to spend $500,000 on about 20,000 at-home COVID test kits.

In order to do this, the Commission declared the testing situation in the county an emergency.

Even with two new sites opening in the past week, people are waiting upwards of two to three hours to find out if they have COVID-19.

The county was already due to receive at least 45,000 at-home kits from the state to be distributed to residents, but County Administrator Verdenia Baker says she had requested 250,000.

The new case positivity in the county has risen to more than 30 percent.

The exact means of distribution has not been decided.

During Tuesday's County Commission meeting, Baker said the test kits are likely to be handed out at regional testing sites on a first-come, first-serve basis. But at least one commissioner said she wants to be sure homebound seniors are able to secure kits as well.

In St. Lucie County, 5,000 rapid tests were handed out for free in under an hour on Wednesday through drive-up sites at public libraries.


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