Baltimore City Increases COVID-19 Testing Capacity, Will Analyze Results Locally
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore City has secured 18,000 more coronavirus tests, increasing the city's testing capacity. The city also partnered with a local laboratory to help expedite test results.
"I am pleased to announce that the Baltimore City Health Department has entered into a new partnership with lab vendor Hologic. This will dramatically increase our testing capacity for COVID-19 right here in Baltimore City," said city health commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa. "With this partnership, the Baltimore City Health Department will soon be able to analyze COVID-19 test kits in our own lab. In addition, we have secured 18,000 COVID-19 test kits for Baltimore City residents."
Mayor Jack Young also announced that Gov. Larry Hogan has committed over 500 tests per-week to Baltimore City.
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Dzirasa and Young both also addressed the large crowds that gathered in parts of the city over the weekend.
"Until our health professionals tell us otherwise the staying at home order is still in effect," Young said. " As for Fells Point, to the credit to our police department, they went down there and peacefully dispersed the crowd."
Young reiterated that if city restaurants or bars choose to open, despite the stay at home order, they are violating the law.
He added the governor's phase 1 recovery plan doesn't allow for restaurants to be open either.
"The governor's order has not extended anything to restaurants, and it's still stay at home order for me as a mayor, and anybody who violates that is breaking the law," Young said.
The state also announced Tuesday that it would expand its testing capacity to include asymptomatic people, city officials said they hope to do the same.
"We want to expand our testing capacity to be able to test on anyone symptomatic or anyone who seemed appropriate retesting that includes asymptomatic folks who maybe have had exposures, or who work on the front lines," Dzirasa said.
There are more than 4,000 cases of COVID-19 in Baltimore City, and over 200 people have died as a result of the virus.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.
