54 people diagnosed with COVID-19 on first day of free testing in Hayward

HAYWARD, Calif (KTVU) - As California ramps up COVID-19 testing efforts, the City of Hayward shared the results from its first day of free testing. 

On Monday, firefighters and medical professionals at Hayward Fire Station #7 swabbed 207 people who were showing symptoms and test results for 54 of them came back positive for infection, the city said.

The samples that tested positive at the city's partner laboratory, Avellino Lab of Menlo Park, were retested again and the results were immediately reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, officials said.

Confirmed positive results were immediately shared by Hayward Fire Department medical clinicians with the infected person and later reported to local public health officials. 

The free testing center is located at 28270 Huntwood Avenue in South Hayward and open every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

A referral from a doctor is not needed, but people must first go through a 2-step screening process, before being administered the test, which involves swabbing of the nasal cavities and back of the throat.

In most cases, people who test positive at the center will learn the results in six hours or by the next day.