UPDATE: Santa Clara County Offers Additional Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- Santa Clara County health officials on Monday announced they are offering thousands of additional free at-home COVID-19 antigen tests to those who live, work, or attend school in the county.
Last Friday, the county offered up 15,000 appointments that allowed individuals to claim four COVID tests each, but those appointments were all claimed the same day.
"We are glad to provide additional at-home tests for our community at a time when testing is still very important," said county Chief Operations Officer Miguel Márquez. "When people have the opportunity to test, it allows everyone to limit the spread of the virus."
The release of an additional 7,650 appointments on Monday will allow health officials to distribute more tests. The sign up for the appointments to pick up the tests is available at www.sccfreetest.org. Those who secure an appointment can choose from one of the distribution locations for pick up at a designated time. Those locations are:
- Hellyer County Park, 985 Hellyer Ave., San José
- Martial Cottle Park, 5283 Snell Ave., San José
- Vasona County Park, 333 Blossom Hill Road, Los Gatos
- Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills (offers evening hours)
Officials said each individual who makes an appointment will be assigned a unique QR code which must be shown to receive the tests. People will not be able to drop in to pick up tests without an appointment. The county is also providing four free N95 masks for those who receive the COVID-19 antigen tests.The pick-up sites are designed for drive-through operation; however, individuals can also arrive without a vehicle and get the tests so long as they have an appointment.
Officials said additional kits were also being distributed through the county's outreach teams to disproportionately impacted communities, through nonprofit partner organizations, as well as to first responders and other essential workers.