90,000 free at-home COVID test kits exhausted

The Sacramento Public Library system and Folsom Public Library gave out tens of thousands of free at-home COVID-19 test kits on Tuesday and Wednesday. The tests became available Tuesday morning at all 28 Sacramento Public Library locations and the Folsom Public Library during their normal hours of operation, given out at each branch’s main desk or on a curbside pickup basis, Sacramento County health officials said in a news release. The Sacramento Public Library in an update said its test kits were out of stock by mid-afternoon and that it would hope to have a “limited” supply available Wednesday. The library system ultimately distributed tests Wednesday at about half of its locations, and its supply was exhausted by midday. “We are out of tests and do not expect to receive any more from the county,” Sacramento Public Library said in an update to its website early Wednesday afternoon. Coronavirus: Latest news Sign up for our newsletter and get updates on the coronavirus in California and across the nation. SIGN UP This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Folsom Public Library gave out more than 7,000 tests, starting distribution at 10 a.m. and running out around 3 p.m., library director Lori Easterwood told The Sacramento Bee. The library gave out its full inventory of free tests Tuesday and does not anticipate additional supply, the city of Folsom said in a Facebook post. The tests come via a partnership with the Sacramento County health department, which provided 91,000 test kits to regional libraries. It was not immediately clear how many were given out at each of the 28 Sacramento Public Library branches. Each iHealth COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test kit contains two at-home tests. The libraries limited distribution to two kits per person. “Testing before and after gathering in groups or attending large events helps lessen the spread of COVID and the new omicron variant,” county health officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye said in a prepared statement. “Thank you to our library partners for helping get these kits out to the community.”