Santa Clara County Coronavirus Testing Remains Critical As More Variants Are Detected Locally And Across The Country

Milpitas CA

22 March, 2021

8:39 AM

Description

Press release from the Santa Clara County Government: March 19, 2021 Santa Clara County, CA – As SARS-CoV-2 variants continue increasing in prevalence in the Bay Area and across the country, public health officials remind community members to get tested frequently if they have been at risk of exposure to the virus. New cases of concerning variants have been detected in Santa Clara County, including those linked to variants B.1.351 and B.1.1.7 – which were first identified in South Africa and the United Kingdom, respectively. "The more we can track the virus and its variants, the better equipped we are to protect ourselves," said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, COVID-19 Testing and Vaccine Officer for the County of Santa Clara. "Testing has always been a critical part of our pandemic response and it remains an important tool today. With these variants spreading in our community, each person who may have been exposed should be tested. It is the key to breaking the chain of transmission." Testing remains free, easy, and confidential. It is available seven-days-a-week and there are a number of options for different needs, including appointment or walk-in, drive-through or walk-up, and specimen collection by nasal swab or saliva. Frontline workers should get tested at least once a month and up to once every two weeks, and continue testing even after being vaccinated. Appointment-based testing continues at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, with rotating appointment-only city sites this upcoming week in Sunnyvale, Morgan Hill, Santa Clara, Los Altos and Milpitas. Walk-ins continue to be accepted at standing pop-up sites in Gilroy and San José. Mobile testing buses will be in Campbell, San José, and Alviso. Appointments can be made starting seven days in advance of the testing date until all slots are reserved at www.sccfreetest.org. Appointment-based testing is also available in San José at the Fairgrounds, with appointments now available five days in advance. Testing is free at all these sites. MOBILE TESTING BUS SITES — Testing by appointment, but drop-in may be available if space allows. Registration for a patient ID is needed for this mobile bus testing and can be done online at lhi.care/covidtesting or by phone at 1-888-634-1123. Campbell OptumServe Mobile Testing Bus at Rosemary Elementary School, 401 W. Hamilton Ave., Campbell, 95008 Saturday, March 20, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. San José OptumServe Mobile Testing Bus at Tafatolu Church, 2510 Alvin Ave., San José, 95121 Wednesday, March 24, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. OptumServe Mobile Testing Bus at Eastridge Mall, 2200 Eastridge Loop, San José, 95122 Saturday, March 27, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. OptumServe Mobile Testing Bus at George Mayne Elementary, 5030 N. 1st St., Alviso, 95002 Thursday, March 25, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.APPOINTMENT-BASED TESTING SITES — Make an appointment by visiting www.sccfreetest.org and clicking on "Schedule an Appointment Today" Text message results are available at appointment-based County of Santa Clara testing facilities. San José Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Parking Lot A (across from the blue arch) - Drive-through, bike, and walk-up appointments Across the street from the Fairgrounds main entrance, 344 Tully Road, San José, CA 95111 Appointment hours: Monday, March 22, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday, March 23 to March 25, 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Friday, March 26, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Saturday to Sunday, March 27 to March 28, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunnyvale Sunnyvale Murphy Park, 260 N. Sunnyvale Ave., Sunnyvale, 94086 By appointment only for Monday, March 22, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Morgan Hill Morgan Hill Council Chamber Building, 17555 Peak Ave., Morgan Hill, 95037 By appointment only for Tuesday, March 23, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Santa Clara Santa Clara Central Park Library, 2635 Homestead Rd., Santa Clara 95051 By appointment only for Wednesday, March 24, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Los Altos Los Altos Youth Center, 1 N. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos, 94022 By appointment only for Thursday, March 25, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Milpitas Milpitas Sports Center, 1325 E. Calaveras Blvd., Milpitas 95035 By appointment only for Friday, March 26, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. POP-UP TESTING SITES – No appointments needed and only for people without symptoms. Testing done by saliva collection. San José Emmanuel Baptist Church, 467 N. White Road, San José, 95127 Tuesday to Friday, March 23 to March 26, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Gilroy South County Annex (formerly Del Buono Elementary) – 9300 Wren Avenue, Gilroy, 95020 Monday to Friday, March 22 to March 26, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. County test sites provide COVID-19 tests free of charge, regardless of immigration status, and no doctor's note is needed. For people without COVID-19 symptoms, the County currently offers indoor and drive-through sites. People with symptoms are directed to drive-through sites to reduce the chance of getting others sick. All healthcare systems are required by the County order to offer free testing to symptomatic persons, persons who have been exposed to a confirmed COVID-19 case, and all essential workers. For more information on testing rights, see our Frequently Asked Questions page. This press release was produced by the Santa Clara County Government. The views expressed here are the author's own.