COVID-19 testing site underway at IV Fairgrounds
IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY)-The Imperial Valley Fairgrounds will be opening up its gates again to the public, but this time the grounds will serve as a community testing site for coronavirus.
Tuesday morning OptumServe will begin testing local residents for the coronavirus.
The federal health agency has partnered with California to increase testing across the state.
The roll out is part of California Governor Newsom’s plan to add 80 testing sites in rural and underserved communities like Imperial County.
“The number of tests if they completely fill it up is 132 tests per day and the turnaround time is typically two to three days,” said sot Dr. Stephen Munday, ICPHD health officer.
Testing will be done by appointment only. Those looking to be tested will have to sign up online on the agency’s website.
The Imperial County Health Department says priority testing will be given to healthcare workers and those at higher risk but the purpose of the site is to test a high number of people.
“There isn't anybody that's going to stand there and say you can come in and you can't, they book these things online. The intention is for this to be broad based and open to the community so we can get as many people tested as possible,” said Munday.
Munday says the health department’s laboratory is now testing patients as well.
“Our health department lab is set up to run testing here in Imperial County. The way the machine is set up they can run 24 tests at a time and then it takes certain hours to run the test,” said Munday.
The health department has the capacity to test 75 people per day.
With the health department and OptumServe conducting daily tests, more than 200 people in the county can be tested daily. Local hospitals and clinics are also conducting additional coronavirus tests in the county.
Dr. Munday says positive cases in the valley will rise with the increased testing, but he says the data collected will help our health department trace where the virus is spreading to and in turn help stop its spread.
To register with OptumServe you can visit https://lhi.care/covidtesting or call (888)634-1123.
