Update 5/16 6:15 p.m.: Alameda County officials are directing people away from a testing site at 224 W. Winton Ave in Hayward due to what they describe as logistical issues.
Alameda County announced it will open three new coronavirus testing sites this week in East Bay neighborhoods that haven’t had good access to tests — what Gov. Gavin Newsom has called “testing deserts.” Another site, in East Oakland, opened last week.
Workers who are deemed essential and anyone exhibiting fever, cough, shortness of breath or other symptoms of COVID-19 can be tested at these sites by appointment.
Health officials across the Bay Area are scrambling to ramp up coronavirus testing efforts, as the region could follow the rest of the state in easing stay-at-home rules next week.
Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley said in a statement that the pandemic has shown that, “once again our communities of color are experiencing health disparities.”
“Ongoing testing and reporting show that Latinx, African American, and Pacific Islander communities have higher rates of chronic disease,” he said. “Unfortunately, members of these same communities are also more likely to live in situations that make it difficult to maintain physical distancing or sheltering in place. We have to stay focused on these disparities when facing this pandemic.”