FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 27, 2020
Continued Diligence Urged as Santa Clara County Cases Rise to Record Levels
Santa Clara County, CA – With a continuing and worsening surge in COVID-19 cases in Santa Clara County and beyond, health officials urged continued diligence to periodic testing for essential workers and those with an increased risk of infection.
Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, COVID-19 Testing Officer for the County of Santa Clara, said that testing is a crucial tool in diagnosing people who might otherwise appear healthy and present no symptoms but still be infectious.
“New studies have shown that a majority of transmissions are caused by people who are asymptomatic and likely don’t know that they are potentially spreading the disease to family, coworkers, and anyone they come in contact with,” Fenstersheib said. “They need to know they have the virus so they can isolate and break the transmission chain, even if they don’t feel sick.”
Flu testing is being conducted simultaneously with COVID-19 testing at city-based sites and the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.
Next week, appointment-only COVID-19 testing will be conducted at sites in Los Gatos, Mountain View, Cupertino, Campbell and Palo Alto. 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. Appointments are essential for reserving a testing slot.
APPOINTMENT-BASED TESTING SITES — Influenza test is included.
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
Appointments Tuesday to Friday, Dec. 1 – Dec. 4, 11:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 5, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will also be testing at the Fairgrounds this Sunday, Nov. 29, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Los Gatos
LGS Adult Recreation Center, 208 E. Main St., Los Gatos, 95030
By appointment only for Monday, Nov. 30, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m
Mountain View
Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View, 94041
By appointment only for Tuesday, Dec. 1, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cupertino
Cupertino Senior Center, 21251 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino, 95014
By appointment only for Wednesday, Dec. 2, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Campbell
Orchard City Banquet Hall (in the Campbell Community Center), 1 W. Campbell Ave., Campbell, 95008
By appointment only for Thursday, Dec. 3, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Palo Alto
Palo Alto Art Center auditorium, 1313 Newell Road, Palo Alto, 94303
By appointment only for Friday, Dec. 4, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
POP-UP TESTING SITES – No appointments needed and only for people without symptoms. Influenza test is NOT included.
San José
Emmanuel Baptist Church, 467 N. White Road, San Jose, 95127
Tuesday to Friday, Dec. 1 – Dec. 4, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Public Health Story Road Hub, 1775 Story Road, San Jose, 95122
Friday, Dec. 4, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Gilroy
South County Annex (formerly Del Buono Elementary) – 9300 Wren Ave., Gilroy, 95020
Tuesday to Friday, Dec. 1 – Dec. 4, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
In order to facilitate the testing process and reduce waiting times, staff may distribute wristbands that will correspond to specific testing time windows. When patients receive a wristband, they may be asked to return during their assigned testing window. Once all wristbands have been handed out, the testing site can no longer take additional patients for the day.
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.
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.
The County of Santa Clara continues to remind those with healthcare coverage that systems such as Kaiser Permanente, Sutter/Palo Alto Medical Foundation and others are required by County order to offer free testing to symptomatic persons, persons who have been exposed to a confirmed COVID-19 case, and all “essential workers.” Examples of “essential workers” include teachers, healthcare workers, grocery store clerks, and persons who work in agriculture or food manufacturing. For more information on testing rights, see our Frequently Asked Questions page. The County also collects and publishes data on testing by large healthcare systems: https://www.sccgov.org/sites/covid19/Pages/dashboard-testing.aspx#hstesting.
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.
Follow our Twitter for updates: @HealthySCC
Public Health Facebook: www.facebook.com/sccpublichealth
Public Health Website: www.sccgov.org/coronavirus