FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 5, 2020
Santa Clara County, CA – County of Santa Clara Valley Medical Center operated COVID-19 testing sites can now provide automated results via text message – often as soon as the day after the test is administered.
“Quick turnaround time is crucial to the role of testing in COVID-19 response,” said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, COVID-19 Testing Officer for the County of Santa Clara. “The faster someone is made aware of a positive result, the faster their contacts can be told to quarantine to prevent further spread of the disease. We are very excited about our new partnership with Healthvana that allows rapid, automated results delivery, typically within 1-2 days after the appointment.”
Text message results are available at appointment-based County of Santa Clara testing facilities. Next week, appointment-only testing will be conducted in San José, Morgan Hill, Milpitas, Los Altos and Palo Alto. Appointments can be made starting three days in advance of the testing date until all slots are reserved at www.sccfreetest.org. Testing at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds parking lot has been ramped up to 1,500 appointments now available per day.
Pop-up, no-appointment testing continues to be conducted in San José and Gilroy. Results for these sites are delivered via email, typically within 1-2 days after the testing.
APPOINTMENT-BASED TESTING SITES - make an appointment by visiting www.sccfreetest.org and clicking on “Schedule an Appointment Today”
San José
Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Parking Lot A (across from the blue arch) - Drive-thru, bike, and walk-up appointments
Across the street from the Fairgrounds main entrance, 344 Tully Road, San José, CA 95111
Appointments Tuesday-Friday, Sept. 8-11, 12 – 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 12, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Morgan Hill
Morgan Hill Council Chamber Building, 17555 Peak Ave., Morgan Hill, CA 95037
By appointment only for Tuesday, Sept. 8 (9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
Milpitas
Milpitas Sports Center, 1325 E. Calaveras Blvd., Milpitas, CA 95035
By appointment only for Wednesday, Sept. 9 (9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
Los Altos
Los Altos Youth Center, 1 N. San Antonio Road, Los Altos, CA 94022
By appointment only for Thursday, Sept. 10 (9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
Palo Alto
Palo Alto Art Center Auditorium, 1313 Newell Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303
By appointment only for Friday, Sept. 11 (9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
POP-UP TESTING SITES – No appointments needed and only for people without symptoms
San José
William C. Overfelt High School gymnasium – 1835 Cunningham Ave., San José, 95122
Tuesday to Friday, Sept. 8- 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Gilroy
South County Annex (formerly Del Buono Elementary) – 9300 Wren Ave., Gilroy, 95020
Tuesday to Friday, Sept. 8-11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Pop-up testing sites use a wristband system when demand is high, allowing customers to avoid long wait times in line and facilitate greater social distancing. Those seeking a test at a pop-up site can check in and receive a wristband for an hour-long time slot later in the day. However, the supply of wristbands depends on the number of available tests and are only available while 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. Once all wristbands have been issued, customers will be directed to the nearest available testing options.
The County test sites provide COVID-19 tests free of charge, regardless of immigration status, and no doctor’s note is needed. At some County test sites, people with insurance may be asked to provide their insurance information, so that payment from the insurance company can be collected. However, patients won’t be billed for any co-pay, deductible, or any other cost for testing. Those without health insurance or those who do not provide insurance information can still get a test at those sites. The tests 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.
For people without COVID-19 symptoms, the County currently offers indoor and drive-thru sites. People with symptoms are directed to drive-thru sites to reduce the chance of getting others sick.
County test sites and additional sites operated by other organizations 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. 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. County test site locations may change each week based on assessment of testing needs. Data are published on the County’s COVID-19 Testing Dashboards.
Links to b-roll video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQYFwN1Ko-I
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N16W2EPYEuo
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Public Health Website: www.sccgov.org/coronavirus