Contra Costa and Napa counties announced Thursday that they will begin offering free COVID-19 testing to all county residents, regardless of whether they have symptoms.
"We need to test many more county residents to get a better sense of how widespread COVID-19 is in our community, and to help prevent its spread," said Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors chair Candace Andersen in a statement. "Testing will also give us a better idea of when we can relax the current health orders."
Between 300 and 400 patients are tested daily in Contra Costa County, according to health officials, but the county hopes to increase that number five-fold.
In both Contra Costa and Napa counties, there is no upfront charge for testing, and residents do not need health insurance, although people who are insured will have their insruance billed for the test.
Napa County residents can make appointments through the county website or by calling (707) 253-4540, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and noon and 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. County officials said phone registration is encouraged for people under 18 years old, those who received a rejection notification from the online screening process and those requesting testing for one or more members in a household.
Contra Costa residents can get appointments at eight testing sites by calling (844) 421-0804 between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. any day of the week.
— Monica Lam (@monicazlam)