COVID Testing Site To Open At Elkridge Fire Station

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A new COVID-19 testing site will open at the Elkridge Fire Station located at 5700 Rowanberry Drive weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Residents can access the site off Bauman Drive. The site will be operated by Centennial Medical Group and offer a drive-thru option in addition to the walk-up mobile bus.

“The latest surge driven by variants has stressed our testing capacity,” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said. “These mobile sites are especially valuable because it allows our partners to adapt to the changing landscape of the pandemic and provides more convenience for our residents. As we see waves of cases throughout our community, we can shift testing locations and provide additional support to areas of large outbreaks. Today, we’re expanding mobile community-based testing to Elkridge, which has one of the highest case rates in our county.”

Howard County has collaborated with private partners throughout the pandemic to stand-up additional testing capacity. In July 2020, the county initially launched two drive-thru testing sites at the Elkridge and Savage fire stations. Prior to school buildings reopening last year, the Ball administration partnered with Centennial Medical to launch several mobile testing sites throughout the county.

"As we continue to see a rise in COVID-19 cases in our community due to the spread of the highly-contagious Omicron variant, the need for reliable, easily accessible testing is growing more important," County Health Officer Dr. Maura Rossman said. "Increasing access to timely testing is important because it allows residents to identify if they are infected, take proper precautions like isolation, and inform contacts who may be at risk from exposure.”

According to the Maryland Department of Health, Howard County has a 28 percent positivity rate and 189 cases per 100,000 residents. This is compared to a 3.6 percent positivity rate and 8 cases per 100,000 just one month ago. Additionally, 14 percent of residents remain unvaccinated, including residents 4 and under, and 7 percent of residents have only received one dose. Approximately 42 percent of residents have not yet received a booster shot, which has been shown to decrease the risk of the omicron variant. Since vaccinations for children started in November, more than 40 percent of 5 to 11 year olds still need their first dose and 60 percent have not received their second dose.

“Our partnership with Howard County has been an invaluable tool in reducing the spread of COVID-19 infection throughout the county,” Centennial Medical Group Medical Director Dr. Arvind Narasimhan said. “It is our goal to continue to lead the charge to mitigate the spread of this deadly virus. We are so humbled to be a part of this effort."

First Call Urgent Care and Centennial Medical Group currently operate mobile testing at the following locations:

• Long Reach Village Center, 8775 Cloudleap Ct, Columbia, MD 21045, Mondays noon to 7 p.m.

• North Laurel Community Center, 9411 Whiskey Bottom Rd, Laurel, MD 20723, Tuesdays noon to 7 p.m.

• The Elkridge 50+ Center/Elkridge Liibrary 6540 Washington Blvd, Elkridge, MD 21075, Fridays noon to 7 p.m.

• Blandair Bus Loop, 5750 Oakland Mills Road Columbia, MD 21045
• Saturday-Sunday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

• Route 40, 10236 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, MD 21042
• Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 12:00-7:00 pm

• St John's Church, 9055 Tamar Dr, Columbia, MD 21045
• Tuesday – Thursday, 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
• Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

To find other testing locations in Howard County, please visit https://www.howardcountymd.gov/covid-19-testing.