Three days after launching a coronavirus testing site in Druid Hill Park, Baltimore officials are now focusing their efforts in East Baltimore, opening a new site in Clifton Park.
The location started taking patients today, joining Druid Hill Park and the parking lot of Pimlico Race Course as the other city-run places to get tested.
“Bringing this third site online increases access for residents to community-based testing,” Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young said in a statement. “I am thankful for the continued efforts of all of the City’s partners in this endeavor.”
The exact location of the site is 2801 St. Lo Drive, near the Clifton Park Valve House and entrance to the former Lake Clifton Eastern High School campus. Walk-up service is available for potential patients without a car.
An appointment and doctor’s referral are still required to get tested. Residents who might be experiencing symptoms talk with their doctor or call 211 for a symptom screening and to be connected with a health care provider.
While the 21215 ZIP code covering parts of Northwest Baltimore has been hit hardest by coronavirus, with 307 cases, data show the 21218 ZIP code–just west of the park, an area that includes Morgan State University, Old Goucher, Guilford, Coldstrem-Homestead-Montebello and everything in between–has the second highest total in the city with 161 cases.
The nearby 21206 ZIP code, including parts of the Bel Air Road corridor in the northeast corner of the city, has 101 cases, according to a city map.
As of this morning, Baltimore had 1,728 confirmed cases across the city and 67 deaths.
By the end of Thursday, the city, working in conjunction with LifeBridge Health, had conducted 1,040 COVID-19 tests since opening the Pimlico site on April 10. An additional 120 are taking place today.
“Baltimore City’s evolving response to the COVID-19 pandemic requires an increase in our testing capacity,” Young said in a statement. “We will continue to roll out new community testing sites across Baltimore City in the days and weeks to come.”
