Riverside County residents who do not have symptoms but want to be tested for coronavirus will now be able to after health officials modified the guidelines for testing.
The modification of the testing criteria will allow anyone who wants to be tested the opportunity to see whether they have the illness. Health official said expanded testing for those with and without symptoms will give health experts a better idea of the extent of the illness in Riverside County.
“We’re testing people already when they’re sick, but we need to understand how COVID-19 is affecting people who may generally feel well, including kids,” Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser said. “That’s going to be a key indicator for understanding how it spreads and knowing where our areas of concern are when we think about if and how much to open things again.”
According to Riverside County, approximately 30,000 tests have been administered so far at the county’s four community test sites, clinics, hospitals, and other locations.
A fifth Riverside County community testing site has been established in Blythe. The site is located at the Blythe Fairgrounds, 591 N. Olive Lake Blvd., and will open on Wednesday, April 22, and operate for four days.
Other testing sites are open at the Riverside County Fairgrounds in Indio Tuesdays through Saturdays, Storm Stadium in Lake Elsinore Sundays through Thursdays, the parking lot at Harvest Christian Fellowship Church in Riverside Tuesdays through Saturdays, and the Perris Fairgrounds Tuesdays through Saturdays.
Those who want to be tested must call 800-945-6171 for an appointment. Drive-ups without appointments cannot be accommodated. Appointments for the Lake Elsinore site can be made online at www.projectbaseline.com/study/covid-19.
“This is great news that we will have a community testing site in Blythe. I want to thank Riverside County Public Health for bringing this much-needed resource to the Blythe area, and also thank Palo Verde Hospital which has been providing testing,” said Board Chair V. Manuel Perez, Fourth District Supervisor. “Testing, especially with the expanded criteria, will give us a better picture of the situation.”
As of April 16, Riverside County health officials confirmed 2,105 cases of COVID-19 and 54 residents died from the virus. More than 400 county residents have recovered from COVID-19 and more than 29,000 residents have been tested.
