Brown: 11,000 free at-home COVID-19 test kits will be distributed across City of Buffalo

Free test kits will be available at 5 community centers on a first-come, first-served basis; proof of residency will be required

Mayor Byron Brown on Monday announced the City of Buffalo will distribute 11,000 free coronavirus at-home antigen test kits from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Jan. 11, at five city community centers.

“I am very pleased to announce we will be putting 11,000 at-home testing kits into the hands of our residents tomorrow, as we face a surge in COVID infections due to the fast-spreading omicron variant of the virus. Each of the kits contains two tests and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis to city residents,” Brown said.

The free test kits will be given out via drive-thru and walk-in setups starting at 9 a.m. at the following locations:

√ The Belle Center, 104 Maryland St.

√ Delavan Grider Community Center, 877 E. Delavan Ave.

√ JFK Community Center, 114 Hickory St.

√ Northwest Buffalo Community Center, 155 Lawn Ave.

√ Tosh Collins Community Center, 35 Cazenovia St.

Each of the community centers will have 1,500 test kits to hand out. The city’s remaining allocation of 3,500 kits will be distributed through the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority to its residents, and through the city’s senior centers.

Brown said, “These rapid test kits are part of the shipment of 40,000 kits provided by New York state for distribution throughout Erie County. While this allotment of 11,000 test kits for City of Buffalo residents is a good start, we are confident many more kits will become available soon when the Erie County Department of Health receives its next shipment.”

Persons picking up test kits at the Buffalo sites will be required to show proof of residency by producing a driver’s license or utility bill.