SALISBURY, Md. - In a visit to the Eastern Shore last week, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced the state would partner with TidalHealth for a COVID-19 testing site in Salisbury to open by the end of this week.
"Our team is working around the clock to launch these sites in the coming days. They are all expected to be fully operational by the end of next week," Governor Hogan said.
But TidalHealth said Monday the site would not open for another 7 to 10 days.
The company's Vice President for Population Health Kathryn Fiddler says this comes down to planning for the testing site.
"I don't think it's a delay. I think the logistics it takes to get adequate testing is just difficult. We're all working through this, there's a lot of work that's going on to get this open in the coming days," Fiddler said.
Michael McCarty of Fruitland says time is of the essence.
"All hands on deck. Get this done as quickly as possible because I'm fortunate that I have access to testing from my employer but a lot of people don't have that luxury so getting it open sooner is better," McCarty said.
The new testing site will not be inside of TidalHealth Peninsula Regional. Instead, TidalHealth staff, members of the National Guard and other staff members will set up a tent in one of these parking lots along Waverly Drive.
The Governor also promised the sites would be open 7 days a week. Fiddler says that is not a guarantee at the TidalHealth location.
"There is capacity 7 days a week in this community. It's figuring out where do we really have that need in the community. We did a lot of looking at what was the volume coming through our emergency department 7 days a week," Fiddler said.
A new testing site coming as demand remains high.
