New COVID-19 Testing Hub To Open In Richmond: 12th Site In County

RICHMOND, CA — A new COVID-19 testing site will open Wednesday at Civic Center Plaza in Richmond to better serve West Contra Costa residents and bringing to 12 the total number of testing sites in Contra Costa County, health officials said.

“Our testing program has already shown that communities of color, and specifically some neighborhoods in West County, are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Chris Farnitano, Contra Costa County Health officer. “Accessible, timely testing is critical to reduce transmission of the virus and protect the community.”

The new testing site, in a parking lot with the entrance at the corner of 25th Street and Nevin Avenue, will accept appointments and walk-in patients. Tests are free to anyone who lives or works in the county, regardless of insurance, ability to pay or whether they have symptoms or not, officials said.

In September, CCHS will add drive-thru service, boosting the location's testing ability to 400 people per day.

Drive-thru appointments still are available at West County Health Center in San Pablo, and at a site near the corner of Second Street and Ruby Avenue in North Richmond, where no-appointment, walk-in testing is offered Tuesday and Friday afternoons.

The new Civic Center site in Richmond replaces a smaller county testing location at Kennedy High School in south Richmond, which opened over the summer in partnership with West Contra Costa Unified School District.

The expansion of public testing service in West County coincides with an increase in laboratory testing capacity and improved turnaround time in Contra Costa, where many patients this summer waited two weeks or longer for their results due to a national shortage of reagents needed to process specimens, the health agency said.

The primary private laboratory contracted by Contra Costa to process tests was reporting a turnaround time of two to five days as of Monday, officials said. The county also has contracted with additional labs, which are preparing to process county specimens, and its Public Health Laboratory this month received new equipment from the state allowing it to process hundreds more tests in-house daily. Turnaround times at the county’s in-house lab average two to three days, the agency said.

CCHS now operates nine, free, community-testing sites, and the state runs another three in Contra Costa County.

Testing appointments are available for all sites by calling 1-844-421-0804 (8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily) or visiting this site to schedule online. The new Richmond site also accepts walk-in patients without appointments. (Note: Testing clinics operated by Contra Costa County may close during afternoons this week depending on current air quality.)

No symptoms need to be present to get tested, but symptoms that may warrant COVID-19 tests include cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, fatigue, muscle ache, sore throat, headache, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, recent loss of taste or smell or confusion, particularly in older adults, officials said.

There is no up-front cost for testing, and patients do not need medical insurance or government-issued identification to get tested. However, for those with health insurance, the insurance company will be billed.

CCHS does request identification during appointment registration as part of its process to receive federal reimbursement for testing, but ID is not required to receive a test, officials said, adding that patient information is confidential and not shared with law enforcement or other government agencies.

Patients will receive test results through the mail or via text. Those who test positive for COVID-19 also will be contacted by Contra Costa Public Health with the next steps to take, including information to help prevent spreading the virus to others, the health agency said.

Follow this link for more info on testing sites.

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