SAN FERNANDO (CNS) - In response to a “significant spike'' in COVID-19 cases in parts of the San Fernando Valley, what Mayor Eric Garcetti bills as a coronavirus testing super site will open today.
The walk-up site will operate from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays at San Fernando Recreation Park in San Fernando. It will be the 10th location where symptomatic and non-symptomatic Los Angeles County residents can get a free coronavirus test, according to Garcetti's office.
Up to 3,000 people per day will be able to be tested at the site, which will soon be added to the city's antigen testing pilot program.
San Fernando Park is located about four miles from the drive-thru site at Hansen Dam, and city officials hope the new site will provide testing for Angelenos in the area who do not have access to a vehicle. The city uses weekly case numbers, demand, positivity rates and testing site capability to determine where to open testing sites.
Up to 500 flu vaccines will also be available per day, and in the weeks ahead, the site will be added to the city's ongoing rapid antigen testing pilot, which will deliver COVID-19 test results within minutes to the program's participants.
“Testing remains an essential tool in stopping the spread of COVID-19, tracking the virus, and saving lives -- and we will continue to deploy our vital testing resources where the data and science tell us they will do the most good,'' Garcetti said in a statement Friday.
“Our new San Fernando Park site will deliver critical support to a community hit hard by this pandemic, and ensure Valley residents know their status and take the necessary steps to protect themselves and those around them,'' he added.
The site will be part of an ongoing collaboration between Garcetti's office, its lab partner Curative, the non-profit Community Organized Relief Effort and the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The partnership has created one of the nation's largest municipal testing programs, and more than 2.24 million people have been tested.
“Curative is honored to be partnering with the city of Los Angeles for the San Fernando Park super site that has COVID-19 testing capabilities on a scale never before seen in this country, providing Angelenos with all the resources they need to protect themselves and others during this current surge of infections,'' said Fred Turner, CEO and co-founder of Curative.
Curative's oral fluid swab tests provide results in about 24 to 48 hours, Turner said.
The city can test more than 38,000 people a day across its testing sites. Information on the city's testing program is available at corona-virus.la/covid-19-testing.
Photo: Getty Images