SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA—If you’re looking to get tested for COVID-19, there’s now more lead time offered for scheduling an appointment through an improved online portal, according to county officials.
Appointments can now be made at the rotating city-based sites a week in advance, and five days in advance at the ongoing Santa Clara County Fairgrounds operation. Appointments can be made at www.sccfreetest.org.
Santa Clara County officials are reminding residents with healthcare coverage that large healthcare systems such as Kaiser Permanente, Sutter/Palo Alto Medical Foundation and others are required by county order to offer free testing to members who:
“We are seeing gains through our efforts to keep the community healthy, but with that comes a continued responsibility for individuals to get tested,” said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, COVID-19 Testing Officer for the County of Santa Clara. “Whether it’s done through healthcare providers or County sites run by Valley Medical Center, continued diligence through testing is imperative to suppress the virus.”
This week, appointment-only testing will be conducted at rotating sites in Milpitas, Morgan Hill, Santa Clara, Los Gatos 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 ongoing fairgrounds operation, with appointments now available five days in advance.
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”
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-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. 22-25, 12 – 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 26, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Milpitas
Milpitas Sports Center, 1325 E. Calaveras Blvd., Milpitas, CA 95035
By appointment only for Monday, Sept. 21 (9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
Morgan Hill
Morgan Hill Council Chamber Building, 17555 Peak Ave., Morgan Hill, CA 95037
By appointment only for Tuesday, Sept. 22 (9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
Santa Clara
Santa Clara Central Park Library, 2635 Homestead Road, Santa Clara, CA 95051
By appointment only for Wednesday, Sept. 23, (9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
Los Gatos
LGS Adult Recreation Center, 208 E. Main St., Los Gatos, CA 95030
By appointment only for Thursday, Sept. 24, (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. 25 (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. 22-25, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Gilroy
South County Annex (formerly Del Buono Elementary) – 9300 Wren Avenue, Gilroy, 95020
Tuesday to Friday, Sept. 22-25, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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.
This article originally appeared on the Los Gatos Patch
