L.A. County opens new drive-thru coronavirus testing centers

Los Angeles County has opened several additional drive-up coronavirus testing sites in order to keep up with the influx of cases seen in the region.

The new sites are located at: 

• Pomona Fairplex at Gate 17, W. McKinley/Fairplex Drive
• The South Bay Galleria at 1815 Hawthorne Blvd., Redondo Beach
• Antelope Valley Mall at 1233 Rancho Vista Blvd., Palmdale

Testing is by appointment only. Walk-up appointments are not available.

On Tuesday, county officials announced that an additional COVID-19 drive-up testing facility will be opening Wednesday at East Los Angeles College.

"While not every city will get a drive-through testing site, we're ensuring that there's testing capacity in every region of the county,'' County Supervisor Hilda Solis said. "And I'm also concerned about the reports coming out of other cities that show significant racial disparities in COVID-19 cases and fatalities. We must collect better data to identify and address the disparities in L.A. County.''

Additional sites in Northridge, Long Beach, Lancaster and Pasadena are in the planning stages, and sites in Lancaster and Glendale are already operating.

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The county's COVID-19 testing is prioritized for the most vulnerable residents -- those who are age 65 and older and/or have underlying health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, chronic lung disease, or moderate to severe asthma.

Testing is also limited to those who are immunocompromised, including as a result of cancer treatment, and/or have been subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine period because they have been exposed to an individual with a confirmed case of COVID-19 and have more than seven days of the two-week quarantine period remaining.

Anyone interested in getting tested must first register on the screening website.

This first step determines if people are eligible to be tested. At the website, individuals are asked to answer basic questions, including name, date of birth, address and whether they are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, coughing and difficulty breathing.

RELATED: CoronavirusNOW.com, FOX launches national hub for COVID-19 news and updates. 

The website -- in real time -- determines and confirms an individual's testing eligibility. Those who receive confirmation of testing eligibility will then be given a selection of testing sites, and available appointment times to complete the test registration process.

The registration number will be required at the testing site. All of the testing locations are drive-up and clients stay in their vehicles for tests -- though pedestrian clients with appointments can be tested, as well.

The test is a self-administered oral swab, meaning clients must swab their own mouths/throats using instructions provided to them at the site. The testing process takes between 5 and 10 minutes, however, waiting times may vary. More information and frequently asked questions are available online.

"The goal is to increase testing capacity as quickly as possible in Los Angeles County to meet the community's needs, which are growing every day,'' said Dr. Clayton Kazan, medical director of the L.A. County Fire Department, who is leading the countywide coordination of COVID-19 testing.

Kazan is tasked with supporting and scaling the efforts of cities and healthcare providers that have begun their own testing programs, merge them into the countywide network and ensure that they have adequate supplies.

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