Two new free COVID-19 testing clinics are scheduled for next week in Oceano and Cambria, following testing events this week in Nipomo and Morro Bay.
The pop-up testing clinics will be staffed by County employees and analyzed at the Public Health Department lab, which has recently increased its testing capacity to 300 tests per day.
“We continue to increase access to testing in SLO County and now are able to do so through our own laboratory,” said Dr. Penny Borenstein, County Health Officer. “We previously used a vendor for other pop-up clinics and were frustrated to see that some tests failed and many were seriously delayed in their results. To remedy this, our own staff and lab will now provide our residents with timely and accurate test results.”
Results from approximately 300 tests have been delayed or incomplete because of an error related to the vendor’s lab. However, results that were received were accurate. The County had entered a no-cost partnership with the independent non-profit to increase access to testing countywide but the organization was not able to meet its obligations and provide results in a timely manner. The County’s Public Health lab can produce faster results within 24 to 48 hours.
In addition to the pop-up testing events, free COVID-19 testing is available at ongoing sites in Grover Beach and San Luis Obispo. In total, the sites include:
Cambria
Cambria Veteran’s Memorial, 100 Main St. June 24-25
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Grover Beach
Ramona Garden Park, 993 Ramona Ave. Monday-Friday (ongoing)
7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Oceano
Oceano Community Center, 1425 19th St. June 22-23
9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
San Luis Obispo
SLO Vets Hall, 801 Grand Ave. Monday-Friday (ongoing)
7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
To make an appointment, visit emergencySLO.org/testing.
For updates on COVID-19 in SLO County, visit ReadySLO.org or call the staffed phone assistance center at (805) 543-2444 Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.