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New COVID-19 testing site set to open in Greenfield Wednesday

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GREENFIELD, Calif. (KION) A new COVID-19 testing site is set to open Wednesday in Greenfield. It was originally set to open Tuesday, but the nurse at the site called in sick. All appointments originally scheduled for Tuesday are being rescheduled.

Tests will be prioritized for healthcare providers and first responders, but there are plans to open up testing to the public in the coming weeks.

“We need to make sure that we have the best picture of what’s happening in our community in terms of the spread of COVID-19, and the more we get tested, the better picture we’ll have as a community,” Supervisor Chris Lopez said.

Lopez said this testing is especially important for South County.

“We want to get those to the people who are living in situations which might allow for more transmission of the virus and in South County, we do have folks who live in tight quarters or in congregant housing,” Lopez said.

Testing will be performed at the Greenfield Branch of the Monterey County Free Libraries located at 315 El Camino Real.

A diagnostic nasopharyngeal test will be administered at the site, where a swab is placed into the nostril to get a sample. This type of test looks for the virus itself.

“If a person tests positive, it means that person actually had virus in the nose. That’s the kind of person that if they cough or sneeze, the virus is going to get out into the air and anyone that’s close by when they cough or sneeze could be exposed,” Monterey County Health Officer Dr. Edward Moreno said.

Samples will then be sent to an FDA approved laboratory for COVID-19 PCR testing.

This location is one of two new will testing sites in Monterey County for COVID-19 after the governor of California announced the state is adding more than 80 community testing sites across the state.

The other location will open Wednesday, May 6, at 8 a.m. at Alisal High School, located at 777 Williams Road, in Salinas.

Tests will be prioritized for healthcare providers, first responders and eventually other frontline and essential workers before any tests are available to the general public.

The general public will be allowed to register for an appointment the week of May 19th.

KION is told residents don’t need to exhibit symptoms to get tested, but appointments must be made prior to coming. 

The county said testing will be by appointment only. Appointments can be made by calling 1-888-634-1123 or visiting https://lhi.care/covidtesting. Please note that phone registration will only be used for people without internet access.

Individuals will need to provide their insurance card and valid identification at the time of check-in. A unique identification number will be provided for those that do not have a valid identification. For those without any insurance, the State will cover the full cost of testing. There is no out of pocket cost for anyone receiving service.

“Don’t let cost be a barrier. We’re all in this together,” Lopez said.

Test results will be available 36-48 hours after testing. Individuals with a positive COVID-19 test will be contacted by an OptumServe staff member. The Monterey County Health Department will also contact individuals with a positive COVID-19 result to initiate contact tracing and investigation process.

The county said to determine where to locate new testing sites, the state looked at both rural and urban areas where Californians would have to travel between 30 and 60 minutes to reach an existing testing site or hospital. That information was then evaluated based on under-served populations, to address known disparities, and median income, so residents have access to testing regardless of socioeconomic status.

“The increased availability of COVID-19 testing will benefit our entire community, by reaching those with limited access to services in Salinas and South County,” said Supervisor Chris Lopez, the third district supervisor and chair of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors in a news release. “In South County, the Greenfield location provides a central location for residents to access tests in an equitable manner.”

Article Topic Follows: Monterey County

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Elisha Machado

Elisha Machado is a weekend anchor and multi-media journalist at KION News Channel 5/46.

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