In a continuing effort to increase COVID-19 testing capacity in Los Angeles County, officials are opening three new drive-up testing sites on Friday, and are developing more countywide.
The sites are:
- Pomona Fairplex, Gate 17, West McKinley Avenue and Fairplex Drive, Pomona
- South Bay Galleria, 1815 Hawthorne Blvd., Redondo Beach
- Antelope Valley Mall, 1233 Rancho Vista Blvd., Palmdale
Testing is available by appointment only and limited to residents who are the most vulnerable, including those who are:
- 65 and older and/or
- Have underlying conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, moderate to severe asthma, or those who are immunocompromised as a result of cancer treatment
- Have been subject to a 14-day quarantine because they have been exposed to a person who has tested positive for coronavirus
Those interested in being tested can first register at coronavirus.lacity.org/testing and see if they are eligible.
Once given an appointment and a site to go to, those being tested can stay in their car before doing a self-administered oral swab. Those without cars can walk up, but must also have an appointment.
Though the testing process takes between five and 10 minutes, wait times can vary, officials said.
At a drive-up site in Elysian Park last week, patients waited for hours in a line that stretched a mile.
As of April 1, the county has tested more than 23,300 people, with 13% of tests coming back positive for coronavirus.
Though the county has seen an overall improvement in testing, wait times for results are often too long, Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the county’s public health director, has said.
She explained that it is crucial that officials prioritize testing for those most in need.
“The goal is to increase testing capacity as quickly as possible in Los Angeles County to meet the community’s needs, which are growing every day,” said Dr. Clayton Kazan, medical director of the L.A. County Fire Department, in a news release.
Kazan, who is leading the county’s effort to increase testing, said earlier this week that he hopes to be able to test 10,000 people a day.
“Los Angeles County seeks to support and scale the efforts of cities and health care providers who have begun their own testing programs, merge them into the county-wide network and ensure that they have adequate supplies,” the news release read.
Officials are working on opening up additional sites in Long Beach, Lancaster and Pasadena.
