The Hawaii Department of Health today said it is expanding its network of free COVID-19 community testing sites on neighbor isles through a partnership with the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii Consortium and independent pharmacies.

The program is being rolled out at various locations on Kauai, Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Hawaii island, and is expected to expand to pharmacies on Oahu soon.

Among the new testing sites available are the Lihue Pharmacy Group on Kauai, Mauliola Pharmacy on Maui, Molokai Drugs, Rainbow Pharmacy Lanai, the Kona Aquatic Center, Waimea District Park and Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium in Hilo.

“DOH is working to make free testing available all across the state, especially as demand remains high,” said Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char in a news release. “This program immediately increases access to free testing for neighbor island residents. We continue to urge Hawaii residents to use all the tools available to them to stop this surge and protect themselves and their families.”

The announcement comes amidst long lines and high demand at numerous COVID-19 testing sites across the state as the delta variant continues to drive a surge in new cases.

Today, the Health Department reported two new coronavirus-related deaths and 647 new confirmed and probable infections statewide, bringing the state’s totals since the start of the pandemic to 554 fatalities and 52,846 cases.

The 7-day average of daily new cases statewide has reached 680, and the average positivity rate is at 7.5%.

The testing sites offer PCR mid-turbinate testing, with results expected to be provided the same day via email.

Pre-registration at PreventCOVIDHI.com is recommended. Many of the testing sites also offer COVID-19 vaccinations.

A full list of testing options is available at HawaiiCOVID19.com/testing.