A pop-up COVID-19 testing site was held by the tennis courts at Oak Park High School on Thursday, Jan. 7. The Ventura County Health Care Agency ran this event, as well as 14 more at different sites. This is the second time OPHS has hosted a testing event, with the first one on Nov. 17.

“We’ve held pop-up COVID-19 testing events in various areas of Oxnard, El Rio, Nyeland Acres, Port Hueneme, Ventura, Simi Valley, Ojai, Fillmore, Piru, Moorpark, Oak Park, Oak View, Thousand Oaks, Somis, Camarillo, and at the local universities: CSUCI and Cal Lutheran University,” Associate Administrator at VCHCA Fernado Medina wrote to the Talon. 

At each of these sites, including the one at OPHS, the number of people tested averaged out at about 350 people per site. Each test was free, did not require appointments and required that everyone follow social distancing protocols in order to ensure safety for those attending.

“The staff wear the appropriate [personal protective equipment] and we clean and disinfect all areas after each test. This is a no-touch test since each participant, under the guidance of a nurse, swabs on their own to obtain the specimen,” Medina wrote.

To ensure comfort for everyone, testing centers include bilingual nurses and staff. The entire team was designed to provide testing for hard-to-reach populations in high infection areas. The results are generally received within three days through phone number or email. VCHCA thanks communities for providing the necessary resources in order to allow the pop-up testing events to stay open. 

“The community response has been substantial and we’ve forged many working relationships with a great deal of partners in the community including schools, non-profit organizations, and religious institutions,” Medina wrote. “Without their support, we would be unable to reach as many residents as we do.”

For updated information about testing options in Ventura County visit the following link: https://www.venturacountyrecovers.org/coronavirus-testing/.