As demand for COVID-19 testing grows, Sacramento County to launch expanded testing effort
As the highly contagious delta variant continues to rage throughout Sacramento County, residents are scrambling to secure COVID-19 tests, putting added stress on health systems and community test sites.
“We have surpassed the numbers for the summer surge of July 2020 and we are on track to either reach or even exceed the numbers for the winter surge,” said Sacramento County Public Health Officier Dr. Olivia Kasirye last week on a call with reporters.
That’s led to a dramatic spike in demand for testing, as residents are increasingly finding out they’ve been exposed to COVID-19, Kasirye said. Outbreaks in schools as children head back to classrooms, and state health orders requiring vaccination or testing for certain job sectors like healthcare, are also contributing to the increased demand, Kasirye said. Local hospitals say their emergency departments are filling up with asymptomatic residents simply looking to get tested.
Now, Sacramento County health officials are ramping up its testing effort once again. The county is expanding hours at some test sites, increasing staffing, and working to ensure there are ample supplies to accommodate larger crowds, healthcare preparedness program coordinator Carlos Cossio said during a virtual press conference Thursday.
Currently, Sacramento County sponsors 13 COVID-19 test sites across the county in partnership with local churches, community centers, clinics and school districts, but most sites are only open one day a week. In addition, residents can also secure appointments at some pharmacies, grocery stores and urgent care clinics.
“We are kind of always assessing where would we have the most bang for our buck to add potentially additional testing sites,” Cossio told reporters Thursday.
Particularly in the early months of the pandemic, many community test sites have become one-stop shops for residents in neighborhoods hard-hit by COVID-19. The test sites have served as both trusted public health messengers and low-barrier access points to services, often accepting walk-ins when other pharmacies or drive-thru sites lacked available appointments.
In addition, some of community testing sites have recently begun offering free rapid antigen tests on top of regular PCR tests that typically take one to three days to return results. Meanwhile, some healthcare centers and clinics have been charging over $100 for the same rapid tests.
At the Sacramento Native American Health Center, the only county-sponsored community test site open on Saturday, demand for tests has skyrocketed in the last couple months.
The test site, run out of a mobile trailer in the parking lot of the clinic, was previously seeing 15 to 20 people in June. Now, SNAHC is seeing upwards of 500 people looking for tests on Saturdays, according to spokeswoman Jeanine Gaines.
“We haven’t run out of tests but we have started having to cut the line early to make sure people are seen,” Gaines said in a text message. Wait times there are regularly exceeding one hour.
Earlier this month, Crystal Haswell and her 3-year-old son waited two and a half hours to get a rapid COVID-19 test at St. Paul’s Baptist Church on Friday after an outbreak occurred at their preschool.
“It is simply unacceptable for anyone to have to wait that long to get a test, and this raises equity concerns for me,” Haswell said in an email.
About 512 people per day tested positive for COVID-19 last week, according to data from the Sacramento County public health department, meaning the county is now at levels similar to around Thanksgiving last year.
As of Monday, just over half of Sacramento County residents are fully vaccinated, with the number of shots given out modestly rising in recent weeks, according to county health department data. To get vaccinated, visit MyTurn.ca.gov for available appointments in the Sacramento area.
This story was originally published August 24, 2021 at 5:00 AM.