As new sites open, here’s where you can get free coronavirus tests in Sacramento area
With a new coronavirus testing site coming to Sacramento County on Friday, here is a review of where you can go for a test in the greater Sacramento area.
The dedicated testing centers listed below are open to the general public, and tests are free, as previously reported by The Sacramento Bee. Some Veterans Affairs facilities in California also provide testing for their patients.
Sacramento County
▪ Cal Expo’s parking lot has been used as a site for drive-up coronavirus testing by Verily’s Project Baseline for more than a month.
Testing there was recently made available for those without symptoms. Those who desire a test must still complete an online screening process and make an appointment before showing up to Cal Expo.
▪ Beginning Friday, St. Paul’s Baptist Church, at 3996 14th Ave., will have a walk-up testing center specifically for residents of Oak Park neighborhoods.
The site will be open Tuesdays and Fridays, starting with 25 available appointments each day but will eventually be able to handle 100, Sacramento County said in a news release. Testing is on an appointment-only basis; those wishing to get a test must be age 16 or older with a valid form of photo identification. Results should be returned within a week, the county says.
Appointments can be made by calling 916-628-7676 between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
▪ Walk-up clinics in Sacramento are also set for a soft launch by the end of next week at La Familia Counseling Center in North City Farms and Robertson Community Center in Del Paso Heights, in partnership with UC Davis Medical Center, according to county Public Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye.
El Dorado County
El Dorado County has two testing sites operated by OptumServe, both open on an appointment-only basis. OptumServe sites can test all individuals, regardless of if they have symptoms.
Appointments can be made online at https://lhi.care/covidtesting or by phone at 888-634-1123. Test results are expected to take 72 hours.
▪ Ponderosa High School in Shingle Springs provides tests at its small gym, on the north side of campus from 7 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. every day but Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
▪ Lake Tahoe Community College’s gymnasium in South Lake Tahoe is also a testing center. It is open the same hours as Ponderosa, but is closed Sundays and Mondays.
Placer County
Placer County also provides testing via OptumServe at two locations. Appointments can be made online at https://lhi.care/covidtesting or by phone at 888-634-1123, the same website and phone numbers as in El Dorado County.
The test sites are:
▪ The @the Grounds venue in Roseville
▪ The North Tahoe Event Center near Kings Beach
Yolo County
Yolo County also recently announced new testing sites in Woodland and West Sacramento, the cities with the highest coronavirus rates in the county, although health officials did not release specific locations.
These sites are capable of testing 135 people per day and can release results to health officials within three days.
Appointments can be made online at https://lhi.care/covidtesting or by phone at 888-634-1123, the same website and phone numbers as used for appointments in El Dorado and Placer counties.
This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 2:06 PM.