Free Take-Home COVID-19 Tests Available At 8 Miami-Dade County Libraries Friday

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FL — To close the COVID-19 testing gap from the recent surge in cases of the virus and testing demand, Miami-Dade County will offer take-home COVID-19 rapid tests available at eight libraries Friday.

The testing kits will be given out starting at 7:30 a.m. and are available while supplies last, the county said in a news release. There is a limit of two tests per household.

Just over 58,000 new cases were reported in Florida Thursday, breaking the state's record for the number of cases reported in a single day, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 250,000 cases were reported in the Sunshine State in the last seven days.

According to data from the Florida Department of Health, the state saw a new case positivity rate of 13.8 percent and 125,201 new coronavirus cases from Dec. 17-23. In Miami-Dade County, there were 52,428 new COVID-19 cases and a 16.6 percent positivity rate reported during this period.

“Our team is working around the clock to meet the enormous increase in demand and keep residents safe by making tests as accessible as possible, including by distributing hundreds of thousands of take-home rapid test kits and opening new testing sites this week,” Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said. “We’re grateful to all those across Miami-Dade taking the simple precautions that we know work to keep us safe.”

The county has already distributed about 152,000 take-home rapid test kits through a collaboration between Miami-Dade Public Library System, Miami-Dade Police Department and the Miami-Dade Emergency Operations Center.

This week the county also opened three additional testing sites and expanded Zoo Miami hours to 24/7 as part of our continued effort to meet the increased demand for COVID testing. Find the testing site in the county nearest to you online here.

The following are the eight library locations where residents can pick up the take home tests on Friday:

• Kendale Lakes Branch Library, 15205 SW 88 Street, Miami
• Naranja Branch Library, 14850 SW 280 Street, Miami
• North Dade Regional Library, 2455 NW 183 Street, Miami Gardens
• Northeast Dade, 2930 Aventura Blvd., Aventura
• Main Library, 101 West Flagler Street, Miami
• Miami Beach Regional Library, 227 22nd Street, Miami Beach
• Miami Lakes Branch Library, 6699 Windmill Gate Road, Miami Lakes
• Westchester Regional Library, 9445 Coral Way, Miami

Instructions to utilize a take home test will be provided at each location and are available online here.

All sites will accommodate those arriving by transit or without a car. Face coverings are required at all county facilities.