FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2021
Testing opportunities will be available this week in San José, Gilroy, Los Gatos, Mountain View, Cupertino, Campbell, Palo Alto and Sunnyvale
Santa Clara County, CA – The cumulative number of COVID-19 tests performed in Santa Clara County is now close to 3 million, a milestone that shows how far testing capacity has come since a year ago, when the World Health Organization declared that the rapidly spreading new virus was now a pandemic. What started with several hundred tests a day at the time has now grown to a testing operation that, during the peak winter surge, collected more than 25,000 specimens daily.
In the early months of the pandemic, one of the County’s first priorities was to quickly scale up testing, a critical component to understanding where and to what level the virus was spreading. A year later, the County now maintains a testing operation that runs seven days a week and offers a number of options for different needs, including appointment or drop-in, drive-through or walk-up, and specimen collection by nasal swab or saliva.
“Testing is one of our most important public health tools when it comes to COVID-19. Without it, we are essentially blind to where the virus is and how quickly it is spreading through our community,” said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, COVID-19 Testing and Vaccine Officer for the County of Santa Clara. “We now know so much more about disease transmission and prevention than we did a year ago. But one thing has not changed, and that is the critical role of testing.”
Testing remains free, easy and confidential. 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 Los Gatos, Mountain View, Cupertino, Campbell and Palo Alto. Walk-ins continue to be accepted at standing pop-up sites in Gilroy and San José. Mobile testing buses will be in San José, Sunnyvale and Campbell.
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.
San José
OptumServe Mobile Testing Bus at Eastridge Mall, 2200 Eastridge Loop, San José, 95122
Saturday, March 13, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
OptumServe Mobile Testing at Costco Business Center, 2376 S. Evergreen Loop, San José, 95122
Thursday, March 18, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunnyvale
OptumServe Mobile Testing Bus at Columbia Middle School, 739 Morse Ave., Sunnyvale, 94085
Wednesday, March 17, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Campbell
OptumServe Mobile Testing Bus at Rosemary Elementary, 401 W. Hamilton Ave., Campbell, 95008
Saturday, March 20, 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 15, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday, March 16 to March 18, 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Friday, March 19, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Saturday to Sunday, March 20 to March 21, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Los Gatos
Los Gatos Adult Recreation Center, 208 E. Main St., Los Gatos, 95030
By appointment only for Monday, March 15, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Mountain View
Mountain View Center for Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View, 94041
By appointment only for Tuesday, March 16, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cupertino
Cupertino Senior Center, 21251 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino, 95014
By appointment only for Wednesday, March 17, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Campbell
Campbell Orchard City Banquet Hall, 1 W. Campbell Ave., Campbell, 95008
By appointment only for Thursday, March 18, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Palo Alto
Palo Alto-Mitchell Park, El Palo Alto Room, 3700 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto, 94303
By appointment only for Friday, March 19, 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 16 to March 19, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Gilroy
South County Annex (formerly Del Buono Elementary) – 9300 Wren Avenue, Gilroy, 95020
Monday to Friday, March 15 to March 19, 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.
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.
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