Health & Fitness
Baltimore Coronavirus: Second Testing Site To Open In City
A new coronavirus testing site sponsored by the Baltimore City Health Department is in the works, officials said.
BALTIMORE, MD — Baltimore will open a second testing site for the new coronavirus in the city, after launching a site at Pimlico Race Course earlier this month. The second testing site will be at the Rawlings Conservatory near Druid Hill Park, city officials announced Tuesday.
Those who want to be tested must have a doctor's order; people cannot just show up.
A drive-through area will be available for testing, and a walk-through area will be established for those who do not have vehicles as well.
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"We look forward to announcing additional testing sites in the days and weeks to come," Health Commissioner Letitia Dzirasa said. Previously, she said the city was looking on both the east and west sides for locations.
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There are 1,542 cases of the virus in Baltimore City, where 54 people have died from the illness, state health officials reported Tuesday, April 21. Another five people probably died from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, but test results are pending, according to authorities.
The state's highest concentration of COVID-19 is in the 21015 ZIP code, which includes Pimlico and the Park Heights area. The new site will be in the 21217 ZIP code.
One motivation to create a testing site separate from a health care facility was to keep people away from hospitals if they do not need to go there.
However, Dzirasa said that hospitals in the city had been reporting the opposite trend: People who needed to go to the hospital were not seeking treatment.
"We are seeing a decline in patients seeking urgent care" for things like heart attacks or strokes, Dzirasa said. While people should continue to practice social distancing and avoid going to areas where there are lots of people, she said: "If you are experiencing severe symptoms of any kind, please reach out to your doctor as soon as possible or 911."
Hospitals have implemented special infection control measures and created isolation wards and separate entrances, she said, to ensure that those without the new coronavirus can get care.
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