Philadelphia Cancels Thursday's Rapid At-Home COVID-19 Test Giveaway At Waterview Recreation Center
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia will no longer hand out free at-home COVID-19 rapid tests Thursday at the Waterview Recreation Center due to a lack of testing kits, the city said Wednesday night.
The city began handing out testing kits last Saturday with the goal of delivering 24,000 kits before Christmas. Health officials said Wednesday night the city has already reached that goal.
Officials said the vaccine clinic at Waterview Recreation Center, located at 5826 McMahon Ave., will still operate on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. First, second and booster shots will be administered.
The city's free at-home rapid test giveaway began last weekend with each kit containing two tests. The health department distributed the tests across nine clinics and outreach events in targeted neighborhoods.
After five days, the city said "virtually all of the testing kits have been successfully distributed."
Philly health officials say they've placed orders for additional testing kits, but they're unsure when the order will be fulfilled.
Meanwhile, several national pharmacy chains said Wednesday they're placing limits on at-home COVID-19 rapid test purchases. For example, CVS is allowing purchases of up to six testing kits while Walgreens is allowing customers to buy just four kits.
President Joe Biden said Tuesday his administration plans to send half a billion at-home rapid tests to Americans starting in January.