Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low 66F. WNW winds at 10 to 15 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low 66F. WNW winds at 10 to 15 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

Teresa McMinn can be reached at 304-639-2371 or tmcminn@times-news.com.

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Maryland Department of Health will make 500,000 Abbott BinaxNOW Ag at-home COVID-19 test kits available through a new program being launched statewide, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Wednesday.

The kits have begun to arrive in the state, and MDH is distributing them to local health departments to make available free at designated locations in their jurisdictions.

Distribution of the kits will increase public access to convenient COVID-19 tests ahead of the holiday season and throughout winter, and in coming weeks local health departments will make announcements regarding the availability of testing kits.

“Testing continues to be one of the most important tools we have to keep people safe, and we have now conducted nearly 15 million tests statewide,” Hogan said via press release.

“By making these at-home test kits available through local health departments, we are giving Marylanders more options and more peace of mind as we head into the holiday season,” he said. “Of course, the single most important thing you can do, if you haven’t already, is get vaccinated or get your booster shot.”

Each kit contains two COVID-19 tests that are approved to be used by one person, and the tests are to be used at least 36 hours apart and within three days of each other.

The tests are self-administered, and results are available in 15 minutes.

Step-by-step instructions for completing the test and reporting results are included with the kits.

Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 should consider themselves infectious, notify their contacts and seek further medical advice, which may include additional testing.

Individuals are encouraged to report their test results, positive and negative, to help Maryland slow the spread of COVID-19.

People who test negative should confirm the result by using the second test in the kit to test again at least 36 hours after the first test.

“Getting vaccinated and tested remain the two most important actions that Marylanders can take to keep themselves and their loved ones protected against COVID-19,” MDH Secretary Dennis R. Schrader said via the release. “We are committed to accessible, free COVID-19 testing across the state, and these at-home (test) kits will augment other state-supported testing initiatives.”

In Allegany County, the at-home rapid test kits are available at local libraries.

“We partnered with the Allegany County Library System so we could make the kits available at various locations throughout the county,” Allegany County Health Officer Jenelle Mayer said via email Wednesday.

The Garrett County Health Department is partnering with the Ruth Enlow Library to provide the at-home kits across the county.

“We are really happy about this partnership,” said Garrett County Health Officer Bob Stephens said via press release Wednesday. “Our public libraries have branches spread throughout the entire county, and they have expertise in making resources available to the community.”

The at-home kits are another important resource that the library can help to distribute, he said.

“We are very happy to support our community in any way we can,” said Thomas Vose, director of Ruth Enlow Library, said via the release. “People who are displaying symptoms should call their local library branch and we will arrange for curbside service.”

Currently, supplies in Garrett County are limited to four kits per patron, but more kits may be available in the future, the release stated.

The test kits are designed for personal use only.

“If a documented result is needed for travel, employment, events, or other purposes, please verify whether or not the at-home test will satisfy the testing requirements,” GCHD officials said via the release.

For more information about the kits, visit bit.ly/gc-test-kits.

Anyone can self-report results using the Abbott NAVICA app, website, or by calling 1-855-634-6829.

Lab-based PCR testing continues to be widely accessible across the state. To find a testing site, visit covidtest.maryland.gov.

To find a vaccine clinic, visit covidvax.maryland.gov.

MDH Wednesday reported 905 new COVID-19 cases, 18 additional hospitalizations and three more deaths across the state in the past 24 hours.

The daily COVID-19 case rate was 3.9% statewide, 9.58% in Allegany County, 19.77% in Garrett County — which was the highest in Maryland, and 10.23% in Washington County.

The seven-day moving average COVID-19 case rate per 100,000 people was 15.74 statewide, and highest in Maryland’s three westernmost counties with Allegany County at 44.02, Garrett County at 63.52 and Washington County at 40.29.

Teresa McMinn is the Digital Editor for the Cumberland Times-News. She can be reached at 304-639-2371 or tmcminn@times-news.com.

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