Screengrab from County Executive Sam Page / Facebook Live
The county executive announced the news in a Wednesday press conference.
The demand for COVID-19 tests remains high, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said in a press conference this morning. In order to meet the need, the county will tap into two library branches to give out at-home COVID-19 tests.
Residents will be able to pick up the tests next week at the Weber Road Branch, 444 Weber Road, and the Rock Road Branch, located at 10267 St. Charles Rock Road. After taking the tests, kits can be returned to any of the Department of Health’s clinics or in drive-thru testing lanes without appointments. Results will be given within two to three days.
The demand for tests hasn't abated, even as the St. Louis County Department of Health recently opened new testing sites and expanded appointments.
“We continue to look at ways to supplement the tests available to the community,” Page said. “The demand for these tests will continue to be high as COVID continues to stress our hospitals, tax our schools and challenge businesses to have enough staff to open each day.”
Page highlighted a few hopeful facts: Daily hospitalizations have gone down over the past few days and a decrease in reported St. Louis County cases. However, daily cases for the county are still at nearly 2,000, and Page said we’re “nowhere near close to see the virus stop its spread.” The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force reported 1,392 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, and daily admissions are at 175 as of January 18, a decrease from last week’s reports that showed over 200 people were being admitted per day.
The county executive also touched on the federal government’s new website that allows anyone to order four free at-home COVID-19 tests.
Other details for the library partnership — such as how many tests are available — will be announced later when details are worked out, Page said. He advised residents to watch revivestl.com for more information.
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