Town of Black Mountain’s supply of free COVID-19 tests gone within hours

BMFD distributes 160 at-home kits on first day of availability

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
January 19, 2022

The Black Mountain Fire Department distributed 160 free at-home COVID-19 tests, Jan. 19, within hours of making the kits available to the public. Photo by Fred McCormick

A limited supply of at-home COVID-19 tests, purchased through the Buncombe County Health Department and distributed locally by the Black Mountain Fire Department, was exhausted within hours of being made available to the public. 

The Town of Black Mountain began offering 160 free kits, limited to one per person, at 9 a.m., Jan. 19. All of the tests were gone before 11:15 a.m.

“We knew they would go quickly,” BMFD Chief Scottie Harris said. “But, we had no idea they would be gone so fast.”

Buncombe County received 5,000 at-home test kits this month, as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the area continued to rise. Black Mountain procured a shipment of the tests this week, before announcing, Jan. 18, they would be available at the BMFD station on Montreat Road. 

The department’s initial plan was to distribute the tests from 9 a.m. - 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, but they immediately proved to be in high demand, according to Harris. 

BMFD was one of 10 departments in Buncombe County to serve as a point of distribution for the testing kits and masks, the chief added. 

“We do still have some masks available,” Harris said. “Those come in a pack of 10, and we will continue giving them out while supplies last.”

Free at-home COVID-19 tests can be ordered through the U.S. Postal Service, and are expected to begin shipping later this month. Households can order a set of four tests, free of charge, at the USPS website, linked here. 

The Town of Black Mountain plans to request additional tests from the county, according to Harris, but details on when those may be received are currently unavailable. 

“As soon as we get more tests, we’ll make an announcement informing the community,” Harris said.