King County Buys Another 400,000 COVID Test Kits

KING COUNTY, WA — King County has secured another 400,000 COVID-19 at-home, rapid test kits, more than doubling its initial haul of 300,000 kits announced last week. According to the King County Executive's Office, the first 100,000 kits are scheduled for delivery next week.

Public health officials are preparing to distribute them widely to connect more people with free testing options as cases surge to new highs and testing sites across the region struggle to keep up with demand.

"We'll be working with partners to get these kits into the community as soon as they arrive, but demand will clearly outpace the supply," said King County Executive Dow Constantine. "As state and federal resources are distributed, we're doing everything we can to increase testing capacity as quickly as possible. With this surge in cases, we must do all we can to expand access to testing across the region. These additional 400,000 kits will help ensure residents have the tools they need to protect themselves, their families, and their community."

According to Public Health - Seattle & King County, the county is averaging nearly 2,500 new cases each day, with counts up nearly 30 percent over the last seven days. Hospitalizations have increased by 50 percent over the same timeframe, currently averaging 26 each day.

Related - King County COVID Testing: County Buys 300K At-Home Tests

Constantine's office said the distribution efforts will prioritize areas of the county identified as having the highest need, and the self-test kits will be delivered to community organizations, health centers, senior centers, libraries. Specifics on where the public can pick up kits will be shared after the first shipments arrive.

Learn more about testing options on the county's website.