Free community testing for COVID-19 continues.

The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following location:

• Friday, March 4, 4 to 6 p.m. - Southwood Pool House, Southwood Parkway and Clarkson Road.

All events will provide walk-up testing, though appointments can still be set by calling (804) 205-3501 or going to www.rchd.com

Call the Richmond and Henrico COVID-19 Hotline at (804) 205-3501 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for more information on testing sites, or go online at vax.rchd.com.

The Virginia Department of Health also has a list of COVID- 19 testing locations around the state at www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/covid-19-testing/covid-19-testing-sites.

Want a COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot?

The Richmond and Henrico health districts are offering free walk-up COVID-19 vaccines at the following locations:

• Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Community Vaccination Center, Arthur Ashe Jr. Athletic Center, 3001 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

• Thursday, March 3, 4 to 7 p.m. – River City Middle School, 6300 Hull Street Road, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

• Saturday, March 5, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Elko Middle School, 5901 Elko Road, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

• Monday, March 7, 4 to 7 p.m. – John B. Cary Elementary School, 3021 Maplewood Ave., Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

• Tuesday, March 8, 4 to 7 p.m. – Oak Grove Elementary School, 2409 Webber Ave., Springfield Park Elementary School , 4301 Fort McHenry Pkwy., Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

• Wednesday, March 9, 9 to 11 a.m. – Henrico West Health Department, 8600 Dixon Powers Dr.; 3 to 6 p.m. – Sacred Heart Center, 1400 Perry St., Pfizer and Moderna; 4 to 7 p.m. – Gayton Elementary School, 12481 Church Road, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

• Thursday, March 10, 4 to 7 p.m. – Northside YMCA, 4207 Old Brook Road; Chickahominy YMCA, 5401 Whiteside Road, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

Children ages 5 to 17 may only receive the Pfizer vaccine.

Vaccinations and booster shots are available for all eligible of any age on a walk-in basis.

No appointment is needed, but those interested can still do so for some events. People may schedule an appointment online at vaccinate.virginia.gov or vax.rchd.com, or by calling (804) 205-3501 or (877) VAX-IN-VA (1-877-829-4682).

VaccineFinder.org and vaccines.gov also allow people to find nearby pharmacies and clinics that offer the COVID-19 vaccine and booster.

Those who are getting a booster shot should bring their vaccine card to confirm the date and type of vaccine received.

COVID-19 cases have continued to decline in recent weeks following a spike due to the Omicron variant, with a new recent low of 729 cases reported Sunday.

White House officials laid out a new national strategy Wednesday for containing COVID-19. The new initiatives will include a program to broaden the public’s ability to get antiviral pills and other drugs to treat people infected with the virus, along with new testing and distribution sites expected to begin in March in local hospitals, pharmacies and Veterans Administration clinics.

A new COVID Action Plan for Virginia includes initiatives focused on increasing vaccinations in underserved areas, while shifting state priorities towards general health and health care infrastructure, rather than a specific focus on COVID-19.

A total of 1,612 new cases of COVID-19 were reported statewide Wednesday for the 24-hour period, contributing to an overall state total of 1,643,050 cases of coronavirus since the pandemic’s outbreak. As of Wednesday, there have been 447,766 hospitalizations and 18,859 deaths statewide. The state’s seven-day positivity rate dropped to 8 percent on Wednesday. Last week, the positivity rate was 8.8 percent.

On Wednesday, state health officials reported that 72 percent of the state’s population has been fully vaccinated, while 80.9 percent of the people have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

State data also showed that more than 2.8 million people in Virginia have received booster shots or third doses of the vaccine.

Among those ages 5 to 11 in Virginia, 297,966 children have received their first shots, accounting for 41.1 percent of the eligible age group in the state, while 249,390 children, or 34.4 percent of those ages 5 to 11, are fully vaccinated and 387 have received a booster shot or third dose. As of Wednesday, fewer than 136,000 cases have been reported among children, including 830 hospitalizations and eight deaths.

State data also show that African-Americans comprised 22.4 percent of cases statewide and 23.3 percent of deaths for which ethnic and racial data is available, while Latinos made up 12.1 percent of cases and 5.2 percent of deaths.