On Friday, March 3, DC Health announced that the last day of operations for the COVID Centers will be Friday, March 31.
In a press release, the Mayor’s office said the decision to close the COVID Centers comes after the District has experienced a significant drop in COVID-19 cases, high vaccination uptake, and an increase in the availability of vaccines and testing kits for at-home use and noted that similar actions are being taken at the federal level and by other jurisdictions around the nation.
DC Public Libraries, which was a site for distribution of tests, closed down those operations Feb. 28.
The COVID Centers were established in January 2022 to provide residents with free and easy access to COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and masks at the height of the pandemic. The Ward 6 COVID Center (507 Eighth St. SE) opened Jan. 24 to a waiting crowd.
“Today, these items are readily available at most pharmacies, doctor’s offices, and other community locations,” the Mayor’s office wrote in the release.
According to DC Health, the District’s COVID Centers provided residents with:
- More than one million free masks;
- More than 80,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, boosters, and flu vaccine;
- More than 400,000 rapid antigen COVID-19 testing kits; and
- Nearly 40,000 PCR tests.
Residents still have convenient options to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine, booster, or test kits, including through:
- Local retailers and pharmacies;
- covid.gov/tests offers free at-home COVID-19 tests and testinglocator.cdc.gov directs people to a local free testing location; and
- vaccines.gov directs people to a local free vaccination site.
For more information on COVID-19 testing and vaccination visit cdc.gov/coronavirus.
