FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 24, 2022
An additional 7,650 online appointments are available for those who live, work, or attend school in Santa Clara County
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF. – The County of Santa Clara is offering limited additional free at-home COVID-19 antigen tests to those who live, work, or attend school in the county. This release of an additional 7,650 appointments will allow each individual to receive 4 COVID-19 tests and individuals may sign up at www.sccfreetest.org.
Those able to secure an appointment may choose from one of the distribution locations for pick up at a chosen time, with the additional appointments now available online. The previous 15,000 appointments release last Friday morning were all claimed that day.
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. The County will also provide free N95 masks for those who receive the COVID-19 antigen tests.
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 and four N95 masks. 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.
“We are glad to provide additional at-home tests for our community at a time when testing is still very important,” said Miguel Márquez, Chief Operations Officer for the County of Santa Clara. “When people have the opportunity to test, it allows everyone to limit the spread of the virus.”
The County of Santa Clara opted to purchase and distribute the tests due to the current scarcity of tests and continued enormous demand in the community. Additional tests 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.
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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