COVID-19: San Francisco to launch 3 new drive-thru, drop-in testing sites
SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - The City of San Francisco on Friday announced three new mobile COVID-19 testing sites for residents who have a referral from a doctor.
Two drive-thru and drop-in locations open early next week in the Outer Sunset and Chinatown neighborhoods as well as one near Oracle Park later in the week.
Patients will need a clinical referral to be tested at either of the sites.
San Francisco already has four COVID-19 mobile testing locations available through Kaiser Permanente, UCSF, One Medical, and Sutter CPMC.
The Sutter and UCSF locations are prioritized for use by employees with those hospitals and first responders.
The city's health service system also reached an agreement with Kaiser Permanente and Blue Shield of California to prioritize tests for first responders and health care workers showing symptoms of the virus.
“The prioritization of COVID-19 testing for frontline workers, along with people who are most vulnerable, will help us make sure our health care system can continue serving the public and taking care of people who need help,” said Mayor Breed. “We are so grateful for all the health care workers and first responders who are stepping up and responding to this pandemic, and we will continue to prioritize efforts to support them during this challenging time.”
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Despite a shortage of test kits, the city's public health lab currently conducts 150 COVID-19 tests a day, health director Dr. Grant Colfax said. He predicts by next week, as many as 450 tests will be processed there daily.
The turnaround time for results is one to two days.
The expanded availability of testing is expected to increase the number of positive COVID-19 cases confirmed in the city.