Coronavirus Testing Remains One Of The Most Important Tools In Pandemic Response In Santa Clara County

Press release from the Santa Clara County Government:

January 30, 2021

Santa Clara County, CA - As the Stay at Home Order was lifted statewide last week, public health officials in Santa Clara County remind residents to continue vigilantly testing for COVID-19. It remains one of the most important tools in the pandemic response, especially now that more activities are resuming while community transmission of the virus remains high.

“Since the Stay at Home Order has been lifted, some activities with high risk of exposure will resume so it is more important than ever to be mindful of our actions to keep our communities, friends, and families safe,” said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, COVID-19 Testing and Vaccine Officer for the County of Santa Clara. “Mask up, keep your distance, and get tested regularly if you are at risk of exposure. These public health measures are still our best tools.”

Testing opportunities are being continually expanded, rotating to new neighborhoods each week. Mobile testing buses will be offering appointment-based testing in San José, Campbell, and Gilroy this upcoming week. Drop-in testing may be accommodated if space allows. Appointment-based testing continues seven days a week at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, along with standing walk-in sites in San José and Gilroy. Rotating appointment-only city sites next week will be in Los Altos, Mountain View, Cupertino, Campbell, and Palo Alto.

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. Appointments are essential for reserving a testing slot.

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.

OptumServe Mobile Testing Bus at Valley Water5750 Almaden Expy., San Jose, 95118Wednesday, Feb. 3, and Thursday, Feb. 4, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

OptumServe Mobile Testing Bus at Costco Business Center 2376 S Evergreen Loop, San Jose, 95122Friday, Feb. 5, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Campbell

OptumServe Mobile Testing Bus at Rosemary Elementary401 W. Hamilton Ave., Campbell, 95008Saturday, Feb. 6, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Gilroy

OptumServe Mobile Testing Bus at Costco Wholesale7251 Camino Arroyo Gilroy, CA 95020Sunday, Feb. 7, 7 a.m. to 7 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 and an influenza test is included.

San José

Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Parking Lot A (across from the blue arch) - Drive-through, bike, and walk-up appointmentsAcross the street from the Fairgrounds main entrance, 344 Tully Road, San José, CA 95111Appointment hours: Monday, Feb. 1, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday, Feb. 2 to Feb. 4, 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 5, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 6-7, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Los Altos

Los Altos Youth Center1 N. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos, 94022By appointment only for Monday, Feb. 1, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Mountain View

Mountain View Center for Performing Arts500 Castro St., Mountain View, 94041By appointment only for Tuesday, Feb. 2, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cupertino

Cupertino Senior Center21251 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino, 95014By appointment only for Wednesday, Feb. 3, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Campbell

Campbell Orchard City Banquet Hall1 W. Campbell Ave., Campbell, 95008By appointment only for Thursday, Feb. 4, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Palo Alto

Palo Alto – Mitchell Park, El Palo Alto Room3700 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto, 94303By appointment only for Friday, Feb. 5, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

POP-UP TESTING SITES – No appointments needed and only for people without symptoms.

San José

Emmanuel Baptist Church467 N. White Road, San José, 95127Tuesday to Friday, Feb. 2 – Feb. 5, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Gilroy

South County Annex (formerly Del Buono Elementary)9300 Wren Avenue, Gilroy, 95020Monday to Friday, Feb. 1 – Feb. 5, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The County would like to remind people that hospital emergency departments are not the appropriate venue for a COVID-19 test when symptoms are not present and there is no emergency medical issue. Emergency Departments are for people who need emergency care and are currently very busy caring for patients with urgent medical needs.

The County test sites provide COVID-19 tests free of charge, regardless of immigration status, and no doctor’s note is needed. At some County test sites, people with insurance may be asked to provide their insurance information, so that payment from the insurance company can be collected. However, patients won’t be billed for any co-pay, deductible, or any other cost for testing. Those without health insurance or those who do not provide insurance information can still get a test at those sites.

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.

For those with healthcare coverage, systems such as Kaiser Permanente, Sutter/Palo Alto Medical Foundation and others are required by County order to offer free testing to symptomatic persons, persons who have been exposed to a confirmed COVID-19 case, and all “essential workers.” Examples of “essential workers” include teachers, healthcare workers, grocery store clerks, and persons who work in agriculture or food manufacturing.

For more information on testing rights, see our Frequently Asked Questions page. The County also collects and publishes data on testing by large healthcare systems: https://www.sccgov.org/sites/covid19/Pages/dashboard-testing.aspx#hstesting.

All test sites are mapped on the County’s website at www.sccfreetest.org. The site is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Tagalog. Information is also available by calling 2-1-1.

This press release was produced by Santa Clara County Government . The views expressed here are the author’s own.