Spike In Instances Triggers Extra Demand For Testing, Longer Wait Instances – CBS San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) – As COVID cases increase, more people are realizing they need to get tested. In fact, every Bay Area County health department is seeing significantly higher demand for testing, and officials don’t want community testing sites to be overwhelmed.
“We have already decided not to reduce some of the test sites that we were considering. As demand changes, we will consider opening additional test sites, ”said Dr. Chris Farnitano from Contra Costa Health Services.
CONTINUE READING: North Bay Counties are banding together to distribute water-saving tools and promote conservation
Sam Levin has been trying to get tested for days after being exposed to a close family member who tested positive.
“It’s hard to get tested now that it was at the real peak,” said Levin.
He finally got an appointment online but spent an hour one way just to get to this test site and isn’t sure how long it would have taken if he tried a walk-in.
“It’s not an easy process. For me, I’ve never tried to stop by so I don’t really know, ”said Levin.
CONTINUE READING: Afghan community in the Bay Area rallies support for refugees fleeing the Taliban
Gone are the mass test sites and many of the walk-ins. The majority of the remaining listed by the San Francisco Department of Health are by appointment only.
“We continue to test at full speed before we see an increase in test demand,” said Dr. Naveena Bobba of the San Francisco Department of Health.
“We are also seeing increasing demand for testing in Marin County,” said Dr. Lisa Santora of the Marin County Department of Health.
Almost every Bay Area County Health Department is currently looking into expanding their opening hours and possibly opening additional locations.
“The city of Berkeley is also seeing an increasing demand for tests and we are working with our test partners,” said Dr. Lisa Hernandez of Berkeley Public Health.
MORE NEWS: San Francisco man dies of suspected heat stroke while hiking in Death Valley
Public health officials encourage people to check with their health care providers first, as they don’t want city or municipal websites to be cluttered with requests for testing.
