New testing sites for COVID-19 in Baltimore City

By Sha’de Ray
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer

Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young announced on Tuesday a 23 percent increase of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Baltimore City but assured residents intense efforts are being made to “scale up our response to this emergency.”

Young, at a news conference, reported that since last Wednesday, coronavirus cases have increased and now stand at 1,977 cases. He said 393 people have been hospitalized with the infection and 80 residents have died.

“We’ll focus on continuing to scale up our response to this emergency to ensure [that] residents of our city have the resources and support they need at this time,” said Young, “while continuing to leverage the wealth of medical and public health expertise here in the city of Baltimore.”

Young stressed that new responses to COVID-19 have been implemented to slow the curve and provide resources to city residents. He added that this is a unique time that requires collaborative efforts, while verifying information given out for individuals to use.  

Last week, a new call center staffed by health care professionals was established in Baltimore to help provide residents with the most up-to-date and verified information, he said. In addition, new testing sites also were established at Lake Clifton Park and Pimlico Racecourse at Druid Hill Park.

To gain access to the sites, officials said a physician referral and an appointment were required. Both locations have a walk-through protocol for those who do not have access to vehicles. Residents who do not have a primary health care provider can contact 211 for coronavirus symptoms assessment or to speak with a medical professional, said a health commissioner.

To learn racial, gender and age demographics of COVID-19 patients, Young said that a dashboard was launched last week and will be expanded Tuesday for residents to use. The dashboard can be found at the top of coronavirus.baltimorecity.gov, he said. The site will include a new live chat feature found at the bottom right hand corner of the screen to allow residents a new way to seek verified information, Young said.

Information about hospital equipment being used, number of patients, number of patients in intensive or acute care units, number of COVID-19 tests issued and the positive or negative results, updated maps of positive cases, number of individuals in city supported isolation units and number of meals distributed as part of the city’s food relief effort are also included on the dashboard, said a health commissioner.

Officials explained that the dashboard information will be used to ensure the coordinated pandemic response is equitable across geographic and demographic lines.

Young again stressed the importance of staying home to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“Every time you leave your house, you put yourself and everyone in your household at risk,” said Young.