AUGUSTA, Maine (WGAN) The administration of Governor Janet Mills announced an expansion of COVID-19 testing on Friday.
The administration says the Maine DHHS has purchased an additional 250,000 rapid antigen tests from Abbott Labs. Those will be distributed to Walgreens pharmacies, health care sites, schools, and congregate care settings across Maine this month and in February.
The additional test kits are intended to support the state’s healthcare workforce as well as school staff and students through the pooled testing program. They’ll also be used in places like homeless shelters, long-term care facilities, and jails and prisons.
The state this week also announced a new drive-through testing option at the Augusta Armory. The site, which is also offering vaccinations, will alternate between testing and vaccination days. Testing will be appointment-only but walk-ins are accepted for vaccinations.
The state is offering testing at other sites as well. A full list can be found here.
Testing expansion comes amid an explosion of cases fueled mostly by the Omicron variant. On Friday, the Maine CDC reported an additional 1,328 cases of coronavirus and seven deaths. 391 people were in Maine’s hospitals with the virus as of Friday, surpassing the previous record set in late December.
