As part of an ongoing effort to increase Covid-19 testing in Santa Clara County, health officials will provide free tests, by appointment, at the Morgan Hill Council Chamber building from 9:30am to 4pm Oct. 27.
Covid-19 tests are free. The council chamber building is located at 17555 Peak Ave. To schedule an appointment at the Morgan Hill site or any testing facility in Santa Clara County, visit sccfreetest.org.
The county also announced that starting this week it will increase staffing and testing capacity at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in order to perform up to 2,500 Covid-19 tests per day. The fairgrounds testing site is located across the street from the venue’s main entrance at 344 Tully Road in San Jose. Appointments can be made 12 to 6:30pm Oct. 27-Oct. 30, and 9am to 3pm Oct. 31.
And the county continues to operate “pop-up” testing sites where no appointment is necessary. Two of these sites are in Gilroy: the South County Annex building (formerly Del Buono Elementary), located at 9300 Wren Ave.; and San Ysidro Park, 7700 Murray Ave. (site will be open 1:30 to 5:30pm Oct. 28).
County health officials have seen a steady increase in the numbers of people getting tested for Covid-19, with an average of nearly 8,000 tests conducted daily, according to a county press release. That’s about 400 tests per 100,000 residents; the state median is 239 per 100,000 residents.
“We’ve been well above state and county goals for months, and we’ve seen a lot of interest in our mass testing site at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds,” said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, COVID-19 Testing Officer for the County of Santa Clara. “It’s very encouraging and a benefit to the health of the county that residents are continuing to prioritize COVID-19 testing, and are taking the time to get a quick, simple test. In addition, high testing numbers help allow more of the county to move into less restrictive state tiers.”
The county test sites provide Covid-19 tests free of charge, regardless of immigration status; and no doctor’s note is needed, county staff said. 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 the county’s 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 sccfreetest.org. The site is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Tagalog. Information is also available by calling 2-1-1.
The county’s Oct. 23 press release included the following list of testing sites:
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-through, bike, and walk-up appointments
Across the street from the Fairgrounds main entrance, 344 Tully Road, San José, CA 95111
Appointments Tuesday-Friday, Oct. 27 – Oct. 30, 12 to 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sunnyvale
Murphy Park, 260 N. Sunnyvale Ave., Sunnyvale, 94086
By appointment only for Monday, Oct. 26, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Morgan Hill
Morgan Hill Council Chamber Building, 17555 Peak Ave., Morgan Hill, CA 95037
By appointment only for Tuesday, Oct. 27, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Los Gatos
LGS Adult Recreation Center, 208 E. Main St., Los Gatos, CA 95030
By appointment only for Wednesday, Oct. 28, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saratoga
Saratoga Friendship Hall, 19848 Prospect Road, Saratoga, 95070
By appointment only for Thursday, Oct. 29, 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Milpitas
Milpitas Sports Center, 1325 E. Calaveras Blvd., Milpitas
By appointment only for Friday, Oct. 30, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
POP-UP TESTING SITES – No appointments needed and only for people without symptoms
San José
Emmanuel Baptist Church, 467 N. White Road, San Jose, 95127
Tuesday to Friday, Oct. 27 – Oct. 30, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Gilroy
South County Annex (formerly Del Buono Elementary) – 9300 Wren Avenue, Gilroy, 95020
Tuesday to Friday, Oct. 27 – Oct. 30, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Gilroy
San Ysidro Park, 7700 Murray Ave., Gilroy, 95020
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.
San José (in conjunction with Project Move’s “hALLoWELLness” event)
Local Color, 27 S. First St., San Jose, 95113
Appointments preferred, first-come availability for drop-ins. Friday, Oct. 30, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Visit https://domoreproject.org/hallowellness/ to schedule an appointment.
