Los Angeles County continues to lead the way as a model for flattening the COVID-19 curve. With a population of approximately 10 million people, Los Angeles County has experienced less then 25,000 cases and only 1,200 deaths at the time of writing. While no COVID-19 case is cheered or smiled upon, these are very low numbers in comparison to cities such as New York which has a population of over 8 million people and has over 313,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and over 18,000 deaths at the time of writing.
Los Angeles Mayor, Eric Garcetti, has done a great job in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and his latest measure might be his greatest yet. The Los Angeles Mayor has just announced that free COVID-19 testing is now available to all Los Angeles County residents with or without symptoms.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced on Wednesday (4/29/20), “Los Angeles will become the first major city in America to offer wide-scale testing to all of its residents with or without symptoms.” Priority for same or next day testing will be given to individuals with symptoms such as fever, cough, chills, muscle pain, shortness of breath, and sore throat. Garcetti also went on to announce Los Angeles now has the capacity to the 18,000 tests a day.
Announcing that L.A. is now the first major city in America to offer free COVID-19 testing to all residents. While priority will still be given to those with symptoms, individuals without symptoms can also be tested. Sign up at https://t.co/rHWABmXUEl. pic.twitter.com/TYqo6Bzwxe
— MayorOfLA (@MayorOfLA) April 30, 2020
Los Angeles Testing Procedure
The free COVID-19 testing in Los Angeles is not the traditional nasal swab testing procedure that has been done in other testing facilities. Instead, in Los Angeles testing sites individuals will be asked to cough with masks on three times into the shoulder facing away from the health care worker providing the test. Then, the individual being tested takes a swab and collects particles inside the cheeks, roof of the mouth and under the tongue for 20 seconds before placing the swab into a plastic container and handing it back to the health care workers on site.
The majority of the free COVID-19 testing sites in Los Angeles County are drive-in, so a person being tested receives the bag that contains the swab and plastic container through the vehicle window, performs the test in their car and then returns the test kit to the workers on site.
Where to Register for a Free COVID-19 Test
To register for a free COVID-19 test in the Los Angeles County area, please visit the official free testing site at lacovidprod.service-now.com. The site provides a variety of links including ‘Find a Location Near You’, ‘County Testing Criteria’, and ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.
Free Los Angeles County testing is available by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, please visit here.
COVID-19 Prevention
As Los Angeles County continues to flatten the COVID-19 curve, it is still important to take precautionary measures to prevent yourself (and others) from becoming infected with the virus. The ‘Safer at Home Order’ is still in play in Los Angeles County. The legally enforceable order calls for the following from Los Angeles residents:
Ordering all residents of the City of Los Angeles to stay inside their residences, and immediately limit all movement outside of their homes beyond what is absolutely necessary to take care of essential needs.
The following precautionary measures are recommended to help slow the spread of the virus:
cdc.gov
For the latest official news of the ongoing COVID-19, please refer to the official CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) website.
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