Stamford To Distribute At-Home COVID-19 Tests Sunday

STAMFORD, CT — Mayor Caroline Simmons announced on Saturday that the city of Stamford will distribute roughly 20,000 at-home COVID-19 tests and masks at three locations to residents on Sunday, Jan. 2.

Distribution on Sunday will be focused on those high-risk and socially vulnerable neighborhoods where high rates of COVID-19 have been contracted; to those individuals enrolled in the home bound program; for the senior population 65-years-old and older; for residents that are symptomatic or that have a known exposure to someone who tested positive. Residents will receive two tests per household, according to the city.

The distribution locations will open at 12 p.m. and close when supplies run out.

The locations are:

• Cummings Park
• Kosciuszko Park
• Scalzi Park

The entry point for Cummings Park is on Shippan Avenue northbound only. For Scalzi Park, entry point will be from eastbound on Bridge Street only. Stamford residents must have their license or other proof of residency.

This is expected to be the first of several distributions, the city said, with more shipments expected to come in in the near future.

The city was originally scheduled to give out the tests last Thursday, but shipping problems to Connecticut hampered those plans.

"This program with the state is just one more way to increase testing capacity here in Stamford to help residents identify COVID-19 in order to receive necessary care as needed," Simmons said in a news release Saturday. "I directed our emergency management team to be first in line at the state distribution site to ensure Stamford’s allotment of tests for distribution to residents. I continue to strongly urge residents to do their part to get their vaccinations and boosters and I will continue to fight for more testing and vaccination capacity for residents here in Stamford."

Residents are reminded that the quantity of tests received from the state is limited.

"The best use of these tests is if you have symptoms or if you know you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19; if you are exposed and have no symptoms, test on day five after the exposure. If you have symptoms of COVID-19 and test positive on the home test, there is typically no need to verify the results with a PCR test,” said Dr. Henry Yoon in a news release. Yoon is Stamford's medical advisor. "You shouldn’t need to use the test now if you’re feeling well and have not been exposed to anyone with COVID-19."

Jody Bishop-Pullan, Stamford's acting health director, encouraged residents to get vaccinated if they haven't done so, and to wear masks in order to protect against the more contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus.

"If you test positive and have no symptoms or mild symptoms, you can likely recover at home, especially if you are fully vaccinated, boosted and don’t have medical conditions that put you at high risk for severe disease," added Dr. Asha Shah, Stamford Hospital’s director of Infectious Diseases.

Other medical recommendations from the city:

• If you are staying home and recovering, to protect your loved ones, be sure to wear a mask, wash your hands and avoid close contact with household members, especially those who may be high risk or are unvaccinated.
• If you have questions about a positive test result or are unsure of how severe your symptoms are, call your Health Care Provider.
• If you have questions about a positive result and your symptoms, and do not have a physician, a list of possible resources will be included on the flyers that will be included with your test kits.
• If you are having serious symptoms such as difficulty breathing, chest pain or uncontrolled fever, you should seek medical attention.

For more information on vaccines and boosters, click here.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health is in the process of adding seven more community testing sites to its current roster of 23 state-sponsored sites. Information on the approximately 400 COVID-19 testing sites currently operating in Connecticut is available by calling 2-1-1 or visiting 211CT.org.