Monroe To Distribute 1,000 More Coronavirus Test Kits Sunday

MONROE, CT — Monroe will distribute a new supply of 1,000 free coronavirus test kits Sunday, Jan. 9, at Jockey Hollow Middle School, First Selectman Ken Kellogg announced Thursday.

"These kits are intended for those households that did not receive a kit during our first distribution, are unable to find an alternative testing location, and have a known exposure or who are symptomatic," Kellogg said in a statement.

Only Monroe residents will be eligible, and requires registration online in advance of Sunday's event.

"In order to reduce traffic backup onto local roads, pre-registration for a specific arrival time will be required for this next distribution," Kellogg said. "Registration will open tomorrow, Friday, January 7th, at 8:00 am, through a link on the Town’s website. Registration is limited to one kit per household and vehicle. Each kit will contain two tests."

In addition to showing registration confirmation, residents receiving test kits also show identification of Monroe residency. Registered recipients are urged to only show up at the school at the scheduled time.

From Kellogg's announcement:

CASE RATES
• Case rates have continued to rise significantly here and throughout the state, with record level test positivity rates over 20 percent. Monroe’s two-week rolling average is now up to 34 new cases per day. The State is reporting that over 90 percent of cases in Connecticut is the omicron variant.
• While the overall disease continues to be less severe for those fully vaccinated and boosted, there are some who have experienced a more serious breakthrough illness. Those unvaccinated continue to be at highest risk, and currently represent 68 percent of hospitalizations. This very high number of overall cases has contributed to total hospitalizations in the state that are the highest since the spring of 2020.

• Additionally, a limited number of tests have been received for use by Monroe Public Schools.
• A reminder that both urgent care facilities in Monroe, DOCS Medical Group and Hartford HealthCare, are offering COVID-19 testing by appointment. Both facilities had several appointments available as of earlier today.

VACCINATION BOOSTERS
• We continue to offer booster clinics by appointment. Signup is also through our website and is refreshed every Friday at noon for the following week.