Regional Center for Border Health receives thousands of at-home test kits

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - As the need for COVID-19 testing increases, Regional Center for Border Health (RCBH) has announced it will distribute 13,000 at-home rapid test kits.

This follows after the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services invited all Medicare-certified Rural Health Clinics to participate in this effort launched by the Biden Administration.

Throughout the week, RCBH has been seeing long lines, even staying open late to test everyone waiting.

President & CEO, Amanda Aguirre says, "there is a surge which is evident from the mile-long lines we have been experiencing since after the New Year Holiday and we definitely urge all to continue wearing masks and maintaining social distance,” said Aguirre.

Since the New Year’s holiday, over 13-hundred tests were administered.

She says they’re seeing a positivity rate of 18% to 20% and there haven’t been any signs of that decreasing anytime soon.

“We're going on till four o'clock and until we get everybody in here. We have four lines here [Somerton] and also in San Luis, we also three or four lines that they can go through that,” Aguirre continued.

Aguirre says her focus now is on testing the whole county including businesses with a large number of employees.

“I was able to contact all three other mayors in Yuma County and let them know that we also be delivering to their sites."

“My goal is that we don't shut down Arizona, that we don't shut down Yuma the business and you must I'm hoping the employers take advantage of this so we can keep the doors open and people being employed.

RCBH will begin distributing test kits on Thursday.

“It’s a very simple test, the instructions are in English and Spanish," Aguirre explained. “The efficacy of this test is very high,” she added.

If you want to get your hands on one of these kits, they are available at the San Luis Medical Mall and San Luis Walk-in Clinic in Somerton during business hours.

• San Luis Medical Mall Urgent Care - 151 S. Oak Avenue, San Luis, Arizona
• San Luis Walk-in Clinic, Inc - 214 W. Main Street, Someton, Arizona

RCBH does say the 13,000 kits will go quick but come Monday 50,000 more will arrive in Yuma County.

“This will be a major step forward in controlling the spread of the virus especially amid the rise in variants, more specifically Delta and Omicron, we continue to encourage people to get tested and vaccinated if negative, and also to vaccinate their children 5 and above."

Stay with News 11 & KYMA.com as this story develops.