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Garcetti: COVID-19 Testing Expands As City Surpasses 1M Tests Administered

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Wednesday that city testing sites have now conducted more than one million coronavirus tests.

TOPSHOT-US-HEALTH-VIRUS-TESTING
TOPSHOT - A health worker takes a nasal swab sample at a COVID-19 testing site at St. John's Well Child and Family Center, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, July 24, 2020, in Los Angeles, California. - The coronavirus pandemic hit grim new milestones July 23, with cases topping four million in the United States and three million in Europe as fresh spikes from Belgium to Tokyo to Melbourne forced new restrictions on citizens. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)

And while most of the city's initial testing sites served Angelenos with vehicles who could travel to various sites to get tested, Garcetti said that the city was continuing to partner with local companies and agencies to bring increased testing to underserved communities.

"If you are unable to drive to a test site, we are coming to you," Garcetti said. "Our fire department has redesigned trailers with walk-up windows that can test four people at a time, and Curative has launched its own testing van, distributing COVID tests."

Mobile testing sites will be available this week at the following locations:

  • August 6 — S. Central Avenue & E. Vernon Avenue, Los Angeles, 10am-4pm
  • August 6 — Rose Hill Courts, 4466 Florizel St., Los Angeles, 10am - 4pm
  • August 6 — Watts Civic Center, 1501 E. 103rd St., Los Angeles, 5-7pm
  • August 7 — Estrada Courts, 3232 Estrada St., Los Angeles, 10am - 4pm
  • August 8 — Cypress Recreation Center, 2630 Pepper Ave., Los Angeles, 10am-4pm
  • August 9 — Wilmington Recreation Center/Will Hall Park, 325 N. Neptune Ave., Wilmington, 10am-4pm

Testing at mobile sites is done via appointment and walk-up. More information about mobile testing site locations can be found on the city's testing website.

"We're sending these resources all around the city in the places that are most needed, and we're constantly looking at the data to see which communities were seeing surges and how we can help ensure that we take those surges down," Garcetti said.

Garcetti also announced a pilot program that would bring testing kiosks into hard hit communities.

"Right now we're working with Curative to pilot kiosks for COVID testing that can each test up to 500 people a day, where you can walk in your own neighborhood to a kiosk," he said. "And by the end of the month, we will have those up and running here in Los Angeles."

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