FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 1, 2020
While County of Santa Clara sites are open to all, those with health insurance who meet criteria can also sign up for testing through their healthcare provider
Santa Clara County, CA – The County of Santa Clara will offer COVID-19 diagnostic testing next week at additional locations in San Jose and Gilroy. Those seeking a test are encouraged to arrive early; the popular sites use a wristband system in which people are assigned a testing time later in the day, and all slots are often claimed within hours of availability.
The County pop-up COVID-19 testing venues run by Valley Medical Center have been wildly popular – in just the month of July, over 42,000 people were tested at the sites, which move from place to place within the county with emphasis on areas that have been hit the hardest.
For those with health insurance, the County sites are not the only available opportunity to get a fast and free COVID-19 test. All healthcare providers are required by County order to offer free testing to members who:
- Have COVID-19 symptoms, including but not limited to cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, fever, chills, fatigue, aches, headache, sore throat or loss of smell or taste.
- Have had close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19.
- Are at higher risk of exposure to COVID-19 because they work in frontline settings (including first responders, food service workers, delivery workers, public transportation operators and grocery store clerks), regularly ride mass transit or have recently attended a mass gathering.
Healthcare providers covered by the order include all acute care hospitals, and all clinics and urgent care facilities operated by organizations that run an acute care hospital in the county or elsewhere. Clinics and hospitals included are those operated by: Kaiser Permanente, Sutter/Palo Alto Medical Foundation, El Camino Hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital, Regional Medical Center, and Stanford Healthcare as well as County facilities.
“We encourage anyone who meets the criteria to get tested through their healthcare provider,” said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, COVID-19 Testing Officer for the County of Santa Clara. “It is a mandate for hospitals and their associated clinics to provide these opportunities for their patients, and that in turn lessens the burden at the County sites that provide the lion’s share of testing.”
Those seeking a test can check in at any of the pop-up sites and receive a wristband for an hour long time slot later in the day; they then can leave and return at the designated time to get tested. This significantly reduces the amount of time that must be spent on site. However, the supply of wristbands depends on the number of available tests and are only available as supplies last. The County advises those interested in a test at a pop-up site to go earlier in the day rather than later to pick up a wristband. When the wristbands run out, people will be directed to other testing options nearby.
The walk-up testing sites provide COVID-19 viral detection tests free of charge without an appointment, symptoms, insurance, or a doctor’s note, and regardless of immigration status. Locations may change each week based on assessment of testing needs.
POP-UP TESTING SITES NEXT WEEK IN SAN JOSE AND GILROY
No appointments are needed for a free and easy nasal swab test at either of these pop-up locations.
San Jose
San Antonio Elementary School, Gymnasium – 1721 E. San Antonio St., San Jose, 95116
Tuesday to Friday, Aug. 4-7, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 8, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Gilroy
South County Annex (formerly Del Buono Elementary) – 9300 Wren Avenue, Gilroy, 95020
Tuesday to Friday, Aug. 4-7, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Testing can identify COVID-19 before a person feels unwell or before they spread it to another individual with potentially deadly consequences. Testing is encouraged for asymptomatic individuals who came in contact with someone with COVID-19, as well as anyone who works on the frontlines in construction, supermarkets, restaurants or who regularly ride public transit. Individuals who have recently attended a gathering, party, or large family function where masks or social distancing may not have been observed are also encouraged to get tested.
There are currently more than 50 COVID-19 test locations in Santa Clara County, including those at community centers and schools, hospitals and clinics, and mobile testing centers. Summary data are published on the County’s COVID-19 Testing Dashboards.
The tests offered are viral detection tests, which diagnose a person who currently has the infection. Read more about the difference between viral detection tests and serology tests.
Take a video tour of a pop-up testing site to know what to expect.
For individuals experiencing symptoms or who have come into close contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19, the Public Health Department strongly recommends getting tested by calling a doctor or scheduling an appointment through one of the community-based drive-through sites.
County test sites and additional sites operated by other organizations are mapped on the County’s website at sccfreetest.org. The site is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese and Tagalog. Information is also available by calling 2-1-1.
B-roll of a pop-up testing site is available for use by news media:
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