FEMA hosting drive-thru COVID-19 testing site at Delaware City DMV

Meredith Newman, Delaware News Journal
·2 min read

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will temporarily host a COVID-19 drive-thru testing site in Red Lion, as Delaware continues to face an unprecedented demand for testing.

The site will be open Jan. 17 through Feb. 7 at the Delaware City DMV, located at 2101 Mid County Drive. The testing site will operate evenings and weekends for six days a week.

State officials said testing has tripled since Thanksgiving, with 61,000 tests conducted last week alone. Since the holidays, Delaware has faced its worse fight against the pandemic, as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have reached new heights nearly every day.

Testing demand is highest in New Castle County, officials said.

THE SURGE: Delaware requiring masks in most public indoor settings starting Tuesday

About 500 Delawareans ages 65 and older received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the Delaware City Division of Motor Vehicles on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021.
About 500 Delawareans ages 65 and older received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the Delaware City Division of Motor Vehicles on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021.

The surge in cases resulted in Gov. John Carney reinstating an indoor mask mandate for most public places and deploying the National Guard into the hospitals.

Most Delaware hospitals this week declared they were operating under Crisis Standards of Care, which means health care workers will now have to prioritize care and resources among patients.

Many Delawareans have struggled to find COVID-19 tests. The at-home rapid tests have been hard to come by, and many testing sites have had long wait times. Several of the states testing sites have also been canceled due to staffing issues.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW GRAPHIC

STRAINED HOSPITALS: How Crisis Standards of Care will change how hospitals treat patients

The White House on Friday launched its website for Americans to order up to four free, at-home COVID-19 tests. People can begin ordering on Jan. 19.

For the Delaware City testing site, the company eTrueNorth will be conducting the testing, which will consist of PCR nasal swab tests. The turnaround time for results is expected to be between 48 to 72 hours.

To make an appointment, which is required at this site, residents need to register at doineedacovid19test.com for each person that will need a test. Testing is free.

The testing site will run from 2 to 8 p.m. on Monday, the first day of operations. The weekly schedule after that will consist of:

  • Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays: 5:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.

  • Saturdays: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

  • Sundays: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For those who need help registering or have questions, email COVID19@eTrueNorth.com or call 800-635-8611.

Contact Meredith Newman at mnewman@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @MereNewman.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: FEMA opens Delaware drive-thru COVID-19 testing site amid surge