There are private and public health care facilities in Orange County where people can go and be tested for Coronavirus. Unfortunately, due to the short supply of testing during this unprecedented pandemic, these types of medical exams are limited.
The current testing in our communities is to assist healthcare agencies to determine two major aspects of this deadly disease meaning who is infected and who has antibodies. The nasal and mouth swap tests conclude if someone has been contaminated with this virus but the results from these exams do take a few days.
The antibody test requires a pinprick, to draw out a few drops of blood, and the specimen is transferred to a small plastic cassette where it is mixed with a solution. The testee will know in about ten minutes if they were previously infected with the coronavirus but now have developed antibodies against this disease. This is important to know because this individual is now immune to the virus.
The steps to be taken before going to a medical center to get tested is to know the COVID-19 symptoms which are coughing, fever, and tiredness. Most people experience these symptoms mildly.
If you have been exposed to this virus by someone infected, have underlying conditions such as asthma, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, or are over 65 you are more vulnerable to the coronavirus. If you are one of these susceptible individuals and your symptoms become severe, and also experience difficulty breathing, disorientation, you should seek medical attention and get tested.
The following health care providers all offer COVID-19 testing and are all in Orange County. St. Jude’s COVID-19 drive-through parking lot with the capacity of serving up to 10 patients at a time while they wait in their vehicles in a designated parking slot.
Kaiser Permanente Anaheim Medical Center located at 3440 E. La Palma Ave. Anaheim is conducting its drive-thru COVID-19 test for its members only. Inquired with an official stationed outside. The employee explained that patients would have to talk to their primary health care physician first then their doctor will then order the COVID-19 test and the participant would come to the drive-thru to get tested.
The Orange County Health Public Laboratory located at 1729 W. 17th St. Suite D. Santa Ana offers coronavirus testing on a limited basis. According to the OC COVID-19 hotline they have not run out of tests.
The University of California, Irvine (UCI) located at The Health Manchester Pavilion at 200 S. Manchester Ave. in Orange, has set-up its own COVID-19 drive-thru testing apparatus bur only take people in by appointment. Individuals seeking to be tested at this state hospital need to first be registered through UCI. This can be done by calling (714) 456-7002. The caller will request to speak with a representative, ask to be registered into the UCI system and requesting to be tested for COVID-19. The caller goes through a COVID-19 screening and is asked a series of questions to determine the person’s risk for COVID-19. If it is decided this medical assessment is necessary. The individual will receive their appointment and get tested.
The Anaheim Regional Medical Center (AHMC) located at 1111 W. La Palma Ave. have people coming to AHMC experiencing COVID-19 symptoms will be seen in the Emergency Room and taken outside to the COVID-19 testing tents to be further evaluated. There is no drive-thru testing at this community hospital.
COVID CLINIC is located at the 1025 Westminster Mall, text or call (424) 404-6872. People can also email: [email protected] to get in touch. This facility offers COVID-19 drive-thru testing, with no appointment needed, for different fees that range from, $75 antibody test, results within 10 minutes, $125 Nasal swap test, takes a few days to get the results. There is a combo test for $175. This medical group only takes debit or credit cards. Folks wanting to be tested need to fill out a self assessment exam to determine if they want to be tested.
The Dao Medical Group located at 9191 Westminster Blvd. in Garden Grove offers the COVID-19 antibody test and nasal swap with a physician’s referral. Anyone wanting to take either of these exams would first have to make an appointment and park their vehicle in the back of the building. The medical staff will be waiting in the COVID-19 testing tent. A $49 donation would be appreciated for the antibody assessment. If the patient has Medi-Cal state insurance the person is considered low income and the test is free of charge. The nasal swap test is covered by insurance but the lab fee would run the patient $150 fee.
As humanity struggles through this deadly pandemic and tries to meet the demands of testing. There will be a multitude of COVID-19 tests coming out in the near future. If having symptoms of COVID-19 reach out to these healthcare places listed above for help.
