San Benito County has been chosen by the state to provide what’s called priority COVID-19 testing that will possibly start May 4.
It’s a breakthrough for the small, rural county because it means the community could see 5,000 to 8,000 tests occur over the next two months. The testing is part of a state contract with Optum Serve and would occur at the Veterans Memorial Building in Hollister. The county is exploring possible sites in San Juan Bautista and Aromas as well.
There would be no fee, and there’s also a possibility for weekend or alternative hours, according to a brief presentation at Tuesday’s special county board meeting by Health & Human Services Director Tracey Belton.
Other details shared include that the county is responsible for coordination with OptumServe, along with marketing and cleaning of the site. Additionally, there will be clinical criteria for the testing. Specific populations to receive priority on the testing include healthcare workers, first responders, skilled nursing staff, people with chronic health conditions, residents over age 60, farmworkers, and individuals with mild symptoms who don’t need the emergency room.
The news of the testing comes with San Benito County reporting 48 confirmed cases of COVID-19, although the public health officer, Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, noted Tuesday how there were a “few” more confirmed cases yet to be reported as of Tuesday morning.
Fenstersheib stressed Tuesday that he wanted to ensure San Benito County uses “every single” test given to the community on local residents.
Increased testing is considered one of the key areas for reopening of the economy, according to officials at all levels of government. The testing would be to confirm if someone actively has COVID-19, but would not show results on whether they have antibodies – meaning they already would have contracted the disease.
As of Tuesday, under 2 percent of the population in San Benito County had been tested. Of those tested, 5.2 percent have tested positive for COVID-19.
Look back for more details on the testing as they become available.
