Rollout of the coronavirus vaccine has pushed testing out of the spotlight. But Bay Area counties are still working to expand testing, as the state is experiencing the worst surge of the pandemic and getting the general public vaccinated is going to take months.
"Now we’re conducting over 3,000 tests per day, with an average of 676 tests per 100,000 residents, which is about double what we were doing prior to our increased testing strategy," said Dr. Sundari Mase, Sonoma County’s health officer, at a Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday.
Contra Costa County Health Officer Dr. Chris Farnitano says the county has 14 sites that average 7,000 to 8,000 tests a day. Testing remains important, he says.
"If you don’t know you have COVID, you don’t know to stay away from others and stop passing it on to other people," he said.
In San Francisco, officials say they conduct more than 8,000 tests per day at places frequented by essential workers, like transit hubs.
Solano County Health Officer Dr. Bela Matyas estimates the county runs at least 1,200 tests a day.
“I suspect that the demand will diminish greatly come spring when vaccine is available for the general population," he said.
But for now, testing is one of the best tools we have to manage the surge.