3 Places To Test For Coronavirus, No Symptoms Needed: MD Health

MARYLAND — Maryland residents will be able to get tested for the coronavirus, regardless of whether they have symptoms, at three state-run testing sites by the end of this week. Starting Thursday, Maryland residents can get tested for the coronavirus without an appointment or meeting any of the other criteria that were previously required, if they believe they may have been exposed to the coronavirus.

"Beginning this week, we are able to offer appointment-free COVID-19 testing across the state, including for those who do not have symptoms, marking a critical milestone in Maryland’s long-term testing strategy," Gov. Larry Hogan said in a statement Tuesday. "People who suspect that they may have been exposed to COVID-19, even if they are not yet symptomatic, can access a test at one of these sites without a prior doctor’s order or a scheduled appointment. Testing will be provided at no out-of-pocket cost."

Testing will be offered at a handful of sites.

One site will offer appointment-free testing Thursday, May 21:

• Maryland State Fairgrounds, 2200 York Rd, Lutherville-Timonium, MD 21093

These locations will offer appointment-free testing Friday, May 22:

• Glen Burnie VEIP site, 721 E. Ordnance Rd., Curtis Bay, MD 21226
• Hyattsville VEIP station, 7401 Jefferson Ave., Hyattsville, MD 20785

"We are going to start it as a pilot at these sites, see what the demand is, and expand from there," Mike Ricci, a spokesman for the governor, said in a statement.

The shift in testing protocol came days after Hogan lifted the stay-at-home order in Maryland.

Some critics said this was dangerous when it was unknown how many people had the virus due to the lack of available testing.

"Until we have received enough test kits from the state, it is very difficult to gather the accurate information necessary to plan for a safe reopening of the city," Baltimore Health Commissioner Letitia Dzirasa said Thursday, stating 3.5 percent of the city's population had been tested for the virus.

On Tuesday, Baltimore Mayor Jack Young thanked the state for providing 500 tests per week but said the city needed to administer 2,700 tests a day and currently was averaging 571 tests per day.

"We need more tests to reopen," Young said Tuesday, in announcing the city remains under a stay-at-home order until further notice.

Next week, more testing sites will come online, according to the governor, including at the VEIP station in Clinton in Prince George's County.

Increasing the accessibility to testing "will help doctors diagnose and treat new cases more quickly, and it will further increase the safety of our state for all citizens," Hogan said in a statement Tuesday. "In addition, we are authorizing and actively encouraging the state’s hundreds of pharmacies to directly order and administer COVID-19 tests, another way we can make testing more widely available in our communities.”

See Also:

• Montgomery Sees Jump In Coronavirus Cases As Testing Ramps Up
• Death Of Teen Linked To Coronavirus: Baltimore County Officials
• MD Stay-At-Home Order Lifted; Some Jurisdictions To Reopen