Dayton Metro Libraries to offer COVID at-home tests

DAYTON, Ohio — Dayton Metro Library will soon be offering COVID at-home test kits. They join a list of other local libraries that have already been offering the kids, but News Center 7 has learned that most of those libraries have been running out of the kits faster than they can get them.

Most of the area libraries that are offering COVID-19 at-home testing kits have completely run out. Dayton Metro Library will start offering them in the next week, and they fear they will run out quickly too.

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Diane Farrell, Director of External Relations and Development with Dayton Metro Library said, “As we speak today, we are making our request to the Ohio Department of Health to get our initial inventory.”

All 18 Dayton Metro Library branches will receive the kits, but Farrell said they are not sure how many they will get.

“We will request as many kits as the Ohio Department of Health will allow us to have, and then will make adjustments based on the demand of this community,” Farrell said.

Xenia, Beavercreek, and Oakwood Public libraries said they are completely out of the testing kits and that it could be days before they have more.

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Farrell said, “We’ve learned from our peer institution in Toledo, that has a very similar metro area, that they’re going through 4,000 to 5,000 kits a day.”

The Ohio Department of Health reported they are giving out 160,000 test kits to libraries around the state.

Once the test kits become available at Dayton Metro Library, those who want one will need to call ahead, same day, to receive a kit. They recommend you call their Ask Me phone number at 937-463-2556.

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