The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) and the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) announced last week that the State of Delaware is partnering with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to open a free COVID-19 drive-thru testing site from Jan. 17 to Feb. 7, 2022. The site will be hosted at the Delaware City Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and operate on evenings and weekends, six days a week, closing on Wednesdays when DMV has regular evening business hours.
Today’s announcement marks a necessary response to the recent surge of COVID-19 cases largely fueled by the Omicron variant, which has resulted in unprecedented demand for COVID-19 testing. Testing demand statewide has nearly tripled since the week before Thanksgiving, with 23,000 tests administered the week prior to Thanksgiving, and 61,000 tests administered last week. The highest demand has been centralized in New Castle County.
“The demand for testing is at an all-time high and our resources are strained. Having this site will serve as a relief valve for our testing partners, particularly in New Castle County,” said DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. “We appreciate the assistance from our federal partners and the testing staff coming to provide Delawareans with another testing option for the next several weeks to help get us through this surge.”
“We are excited that our Federal partners have provided this testing site that will help us meet the increased demand, said A.J. Schall, Director of the Delaware Emergency Management Agency. “The hours complement other options and help expand evening and weekend availability.”
FEMA has contracted with eTrueNorth to offer testing services that include evening hours and weekends. Individuals will be tested with a PCR shallow nasal swab and results are expected to be returned in 48-72 hours. Appointments will be required.
“FEMA’s Public Assistance Program continues to support COVID-19 expanding hospital capacity as well as other initiatives such as COVID-19 testing, vaccination, personal protective equipment, administration, and surge staffing” said FEMA Regional Administrator MaryAnn Tierney. “FEMA will continue to provide this important resource to help meet public health and safety needs, posed by the pandemic, in an equitable and efficient manner.”
“eTrueNorth has enabled millions of PCR COVID-19 tests across the country since the start of this pandemic. We are so pleased to partner with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the State of Delaware to increase Americans’ access to COVID-19 testing,” said Coral May, eTrueNorth CEO. “These COVID-19 tests are free to individuals. Every individual needs to register at www.ineedacovid19test.com and obtain a voucher for each individual in their family that will be tested.”
The Delaware City DMV, is located at 2101 Mid County Drive, New Castle, Delaware. For the first day of operations, Monday Jan. 17, 2022, appointments will be available between 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Following the first day of testing, appointments will be available for the following days of the week:
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays: 5:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Saturdays: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sundays: 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.
To make an appointment, individuals must register on the eTrueNorth Covid-19 testing website. Each individual that will be tested must create an account. After completing the initial screening questionnaire, users will schedule an appointment. A confirmation voucher will be provided and should be brought to the testing site. Testing is free and is available for all ages.
Registrants will use their username and password to access test results when they are available. The best way to schedule an appointment time is to visit http://www.doineedacovid19test.com. Those who have questions or need assistance with registering for an appointment, can email [email protected] or call 1-800-635-8611.
For those unable to access the site due to transportation or other barriers, they are encouraged to take advantage of the hundreds of testing sites statewide and at-home test options, which can be found at de.gov/gettested.
Source: State of Delaware
