FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 21, 2022
Those who live, work, or attend school in Santa Clara County can sign up online, then pick up test from one of four distribution sites
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF. – The County of Santa Clara is offering a limited number of free at-home COVID-19 antigen tests to those who live, work, or attend school in the county, with four distribution locations opening on an appointment basis starting this Saturday, January 22, 2022.
Those who live, work, or attend school in the county may sign up through www.sccfreetest.org to obtain four at-home tests. Those able to secure an appointment may choose from one of the distribution locations for pick up at a chosen time, with the first slots available this Saturday.
Each individual will be assigned a unique QR code which must be displayed to receive the tests. Tests are not available on a drop-in basis without an appointment.
Sign-ups are done through the same www.sccfreetest.org portal used for County clinic testing, and scheduling began earlier today, with a limit of one appointment per person. Each person will receive four iHealth COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Tests. Pick-up sites are designed for drive-through operation; however, individuals can also arrive without a vehicle and get the tests so long as they have an appointment.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for community members to pick up antigen tests for rapid at-home testing,” said Miguel Márquez, Chief Operations Officer for the County of Santa Clara. “Testing is key to knowing whether you have COVID, which should help limit the spread of the virus, and will help get people back to their normal lives by safely ending isolation or quarantine early with a negative test.”
The County of Santa Clara opted to purchase and distribute the test kits due to the current scarcity of tests and continued enormous demand in the community. Additional kits are being distributed through the County’s outreach teams to disproportionately impacted communities, through nonprofit partner organizations, as well as to first responders and other essential workers.
More than 15,000 appointments will be scheduled between Saturday January 22 and Saturday January 29. County officials will assess whether this program can be expanded based on availability of tests and the need in the community.
Each appointment will be made for one of four locations:
- Hellyer County Park, 985 Hellyer Ave., San José
- Martial Cottle Park, 5283 Snell Ave., San José
- Vasona County Park, 333 Blossom Hill Road, Los Gatos
- Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills (offers evening hours)
The County recommends that the antigen tests be used for those who have symptoms of COVID-19 or to end isolation or quarantine periods early for those who have tested positive, or for those who have been exposed to a person with COVID-19 (when a more-sensitive PCR test is not available). If an antigen test result is positive, it should be recognized as valid and applicable isolation guidance should be followed – there is no need in that case for a follow-up PCR test at a healthcare or County facility.
The County also reminds patients of all healthcare systems that they have a right to COVID tests from their own provider if they have symptoms or have been exposed to an individual who has COVID-19.
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