Fall is a busy season for the Washington County Health Department, as new clinics open and the drive-thru/walk-up COVID-19 testing site re-opens for the colder months ahead.
Starting the week of Oct. 18, health department team members are partnering with the Washington County Public Schools to provide flu vaccinations to elementary-age students at 25 schools across the county. Parents should directly contact the school their student attends for information on dates and times when the clinics will be held.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), influenza activity is low but increasing in most of the country. Washington, D.C. is among the areas reporting high levels of flu activity so far in October 2022.
Health officials report that an annual flu vaccination helps stop infection and can also prevent serious outcomes in people who do get sick. The CDC recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older get a flu vaccine, ideally by the end of October-early November. Local health department leaders encourage teens and adults to visit their primary care providers or a pharmacy in the area to get their flu vaccination. Find a flu clinic by visiting vaccines.gov and entering your zip code.
COVID-19 Testing & Vaccinations
As flu cases increase, some cough and cold symptoms are not the result of influenza, but of the COVID-19 virus. To aid in keeping community transmission low and help individuals make the best choices to keep themselves and others healthy, the health department will re-open its COVID-19 drive-thru/walk-up COVID-19 testing site. Located at 13 W. Lee St., in Hagerstown, clinics will be held Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., beginning Wednesday, Nov. 2. Map and directions here:
13 W. Lee St., Hagerstown
Directions from the west: I-70 East to I-81 North; take exit 26 to merge onto US-40 E/National Pike (Washington Ave.); slight right on West Antietam Street; right on South Potomac Street; right on West Lee Street. Entrance to the site is on the right.
From the east: I-70 West to MD-65 North (exit 29); follow MD-65 with a slight right onto South Locust Street; left onto East Lee Street. Entrance to the site is on the right.
- Follow all instructions from traffic control
- Stop at all designated stopping points
- Have your ID ready. If no ID, you will have to sign an affidavit with name, date of birth and county of residence.
- Pull into testing clinic building; put car in Park.
Health department teams will continue to offer COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, to all eligible age groups. Weekly walk-in clinics for ages five and older take place on Wednesdays and Thursdays, while pediatric vaccinations (six months to five years of age) are available by appointment every Thursday morning. These clinics take place at 1302 Pennsylvania Ave., in Hagerstown. Times and registration for appointments are available here: https://washcohealth.org/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/wchd-covid-19-vaccine-clinics/
COVID-19 vaccination clinics will be held Mondays in November at several area churches, as well as the last Tuesday of each month at the Boonsboro American Legion, at 710 N. Main St. The full schedule of upcoming community clinics is available here: https://washcohealth.org/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/wchd-covid-19-vaccine-clinics/
COVID-19 home test kits and masks are free for the local community from the health department in limited quantities while supplies last. These may be picked up in the front lobbies of both 1302 Pennsylvania Ave., and 925 N. Burhans Blvd., where the behavioral health services department is located. At-home tests and masks will also be distributed at the drive-thru/walk-up testing site once it opens.
There is no cost to patients for COVID-19 services available through the Washington County Health Department.
