Today, D.C. is opening four COVID Centers, where residents can get initial doses of a vaccine, a booster shot, at-home rapid test kits (like the ones currently being distributed at D.C. public libraries), and walk-up PCR testing.

The first four locations will open in wards 1, 2, 7, and 8. Next Monday, additional centers will open in wards 3, 4, 5, and 6. Information on exact location and hours for the latter sites will be provided later this week, according to DC Health.

Ward 1: 800 Euclid Street NW
Monday-Wednesday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Thursday: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sunday: Closed

Ward 2: 926 F Street NW
Monday-Wednesday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Thursday: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sunday: Closed

Ward 7: 3925 Minnesota Avenue NE
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Wednesday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Thursday: 11 a.m.-9p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

Ward 8: 3640 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE
Monday-Wednesday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Thursday: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sunday: Closed

Senior deputy with DC Health Patrick Ashley said at a Tuesday press conference the centers are designed to make testing and vaccine services available for residents whose work schedules may not align with other services, like the D.C. public library test distribution or public walk-up vaccination sites. The centers have varied hours, to ensure at least one is open on Sundays, and some weekday hours extend as late as 9 p.m. The centers will have a PCR testing kiosk, where residents can self-administer a PCR test — the same that are administered at DC Health’s walk-up sites. Nurses will be staffed at the centers to assist residents, according to Ashley.

The current rapid and PCR at-home test distribution at public libraries and community centers will continue, according to Ashley, and the city will continue to operate walk-up PCR testing at fire stations. As with the distribution of at-home rapid test kits at public libraries, distribution will be limited at COVID Centers to D.C. residents.

The announcement comes as experts forecast a peak soon for D.C.’s omicron surge, which has driven up hospitalizations. Deaths, a lagging indicator behind hospitalizations, have also risen in the past week. On Friday, Jan. 14, the city reported 10 residents had died of the virus, the most reported in a single day since May 2020. On Tuesday, Ashley said all ten residents were either unvaccinated, or their vaccination status was not known.

“The mass majority of these individuals that we’re seeing that are dying, whether they’re dying at home, or dying in the hospital, is because they’re unvaccinated,” Ashley said.

As of Tuesday, Jan. 18, D.C.’s data estimated that around 68% of residents are fully vaccinated. Of those fully vaccinated residents, 28% have received a booster.

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Where To Get A COVID Test In D.C.