Free mobile testing for COVID-19 comes to Stanislaus County. How you can get tested
Stanislaus County residents who think they’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or might have the symptoms will have more access to testing.
Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, said in a news release Thursday that free mobile testing is coming to Stanislaus County and neighboring San Joaquin County.
Starting this week, the testing van will be available in Modesto, Riverbank, Oakdale, Ceres and Patterson. It’s a self-administered oral test for adults and can be administered to children.
Curative, a large provider of COVID-19 testing, is running the service. The testing method using saliva instead of a nasal swab is said to provide results in 48 hours.
“We heard from communities across the Central Valley that we’re low on testing capacity, so we went and found some more,” Harder said in the news release.
“The first step in combating the virus is understanding where it is. This will give us a better chance to do that while also giving people more opportunities to get tested,” the congressman said.
The mobile testing locations in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties are in communities within Harder’s 10th Congressional District.
Stanislaus County has recorded hundreds of new cases of COVID-19 daily since a surge erupted in November and December. The tally was 324 new cases Thursday and eight deaths, increasing the total death toll to 616. Test results for county residents are running more than 14 percent positive, indicating the virus causing COVID-19 is widespread locally.
The county reported 188 COVID-related deaths in December, the highest monthly total since the coronavirus surfaced in March.
Getting tested helps people to know if they should seek medical attention for COVID-19 or isolate to keep from spreading the virus to others.
Curative’s self-administered test requires a person to remove a swab from a package, cough a few times and swab their cheek and gums, and then place the swab in a tube and cap it.
The testing service has limited availability for walk-ups. Residents can make an appointment. The testing is free for individuals, including those with no insurance.
Starting Monday, the Curative testing van will be parked outside the following locations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.:
Mondays: The Hammon Senior Center parking lot, 1033 W. Las Palmas Ave. in Patterson.
Tuesdays: Riverbank Community Center parking area, 3600 Santa Fe St.
Wednesdays: Manteca City Hall, 1001 W. Center St.
Thursdays: Family Resource Center parking lot, 631 W. F St. in Oakdale.
Friday: Central Valley Opportunity Center, 3860 Brickit Court, Suite A, in Ceres.
Saturdays: King-Kennedy Center parking lot, 601 Martin Luther King Drive in Modesto.
Sundays: Ritter Family Ball Park in Tracy.
Residents can make an appointment for testing at www.curative.com/CA10. Details about the test can be found at www.curative.com.
This story was originally published January 1, 2021 at 6:46 AM.
