Santa Clara County will offer Covid-19 testing by appointment at sites throughout the county—including in Morgan Hill—from Aug. 10 to Aug. 14. Those seeking a test in Morgan Hill should schedule an appointment now for Aug. 11, when a testing site will be open at the city’s Council Chambers building on Peak Avenue.
The county’s “pop-up” testing sites, where no appointment is required, continue to be open in Gilroy and San Jose.
“While many people love the convenience of a drop-in testing site, others might prefer to schedule an appointment in advance to avoid waiting in line,” said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, Covid-19 Testing Officer for Santa Clara County. “We offer various testing options to give people a variety of avenues by which they can get tested for Covid-19 in Santa Clara County.”
Appointment-only testing sites will be available at different sites throughout the county this week, according to county staff. Those who want to be tested for Covid-19 should schedule an appointment starting three days before the testing date, and until all slots are filled. To schedule an appointment, visit https://scl.fulgentgenetics.com/appointment.
Testing sites from Aug. 10 to Aug. 14 will be open at the following locations:
– Morgan Hill: City Council chambers building, 17555 Peak Ave. Open 9:30am to 4pm Aug. 11 (reservations open now).
– Santa Clara: Central Library, 2635 Homestead Road, Santa Clara. Open 9:30am to 4pm Aug. 12 (reservations open now).
– Los Altos: Los Altos Youth Center, 1 N. San Antonio Road, Los Altos. Open 9:30am to 4pm Aug. 13 (reservations open now).
– Palo Alto: Palo Alto Art Center Auditorium, 1313 Newell Road, Palo Alto. Open 9:30am to 4pm Aug. 14 (reservations start Tuesday).
Future testing sites will rotate daily through other cities in the county.
In addition, pop-up testing sites that do not require an appointment remain open this week at the South County Annex in Gilroy and Overfelt High School in San Jose. These sites offer a “free and easy nasal swab test,” according to county staff.
The South County Annex site, located at 9300 Wren Ave. in Gilroy, will be open 10am to 4pm Aug. 11-14.
The Overfelt High School Gymnasium testing site, located at 1835 Cunningham Ave. in San Jose, is open 1pm to 6pm Aug. 11-14, and 9am to 2pm Aug. 15.
Those seeking a test can check in at any of the pop-up sites and receive a wristband for an hour-long timeslot later in the day; they then can leave and return at the designated time to get tested, county staff said. This reduces the time spent waiting in line. However, the supply of wristbands depends on the number of available tests and 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.
For those with health insurance, the county sites are not the only available opportunity to get a free Covid-19 test. 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:
– Have Covid-19 symptoms.
– 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.
Testing can identify Covid-19 before a person feels unwell or before they spread it to another individual with potentially deadly consequences, according to public health officials.
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 recommends getting tested by calling a doctor.
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.
