City of Middletown
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

Monday, January 3, 2022
For Immediate Release
Contact: Mayor Benjamin D. Florsheim, 860-638-4801

Update on Distribution of At-Home Test Kits

The City of Middletown has received approximately 3,500 at-home test kits, containing two tests each, from the shipment that was purchased by the State of Connecticut and arrived over the weekend. The kits are in-hand and ready to be used. 

This is a smaller number of test kits than we were expecting from the state last week (approx. 3,500 vs. approx. 6,000). Additionally, both the State of Connecticut and the City of Middletown are aggressively pursuing other means to procure sufficient testing supplies to provide to residents. We hope these will be arriving soon, and our goal in purchasing them is to have enough testing supplies to serve every resident. 

However, it is simply neither efficient nor equitable to distribute 3,500 test kits to 48,000 residents at a mass distribution site on a first-come, first-served basis. For this reason, the City of Middletown will work through our Medical Reserve Corps and Community Emergency Response Team to immediately distribute this first shipment of kits to high-priority groups and individuals. These include: 

• Congregate living facilities providing specialized care
• Senior living facilities
• First responders
• School staff
• Essential workforce staff

No public distribution of the first 3,500 test kits received over the weekend will be available. The kits are being distributed to maximize their effectiveness and to prevent residents from having to wait for hours in line, only to leave empty-handed. Public distribution for at-home test kits will be scheduled when sufficient supply has been secured. As we secure these supplies in the coming days, additional distributions will be planned and communicated to the public.

The City of Middletown has prided itself on keeping testing access at the forefront of our community response to COVID-19 since day one. We understand the demand for at-home testing is high, and we are working tirelessly to help meet that demand in concert with our state and federal partners. 

The City of Middletown, along with our partners in the healthcare industry, continues to offer testing for COVID-19 during regular weekly hours at a variety of locations, all of which can be found at this link.

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Municipal Building; 245 deKoven Drive, Middletown, Connecticut 06457
Phone: 860-638-4801   Fax: 860-638-1901   E-mail: Mayor@MiddletownCT.gov