FEMA to open COVID-19 testing site in Philadelphia to help ease demand

FEMA will open a COVID-19 testing facility at Cibotti Rec Center in Southwest Philadelphia as the demand for tests remains high amid a surge in new cases.

PHILADELPHIA - The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will open a COVID-19 testing facility in Philadelphia this week as the demand for tests remains high amid an ongoing surge of new cases.

Philadelphia's Commissioner of Health Dr. Cheryl Bettigole on Wednesday told reporters that the facility will be located at the Cibotti Rec Center on Elmwood Avenue.

She said the site will have its "soft opening" on Thursday, then open from 7-5 starting on Friday.

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It's believed that the site will have the capacity to do 500 tests per day.

Bettigole kept her comments on the FEMA site brief and promised to provide more information in the days ahead.

A surge in demand for COVID-19 tests has been driven by holiday gatherings and the highly contagious omicron variant, making testing kits both difficult to find and to keep in stock. The average number of tests administered per day is nearing record highs.

The Biden administration vowed last month to make 500 million at-home tests available for Americans to order through a new website sometime in January, but the details regarding timing and costs have not yet been revealed.