A new walk-up COVID-19 testing super site opened on Tuesday, November 24 at a park in the Northeast Valley.
The San Fernando Park COVID-19 testing site is the tenth city location providing free COVID-19 tests to anyone with or without symptoms.
“Testing remains an essential tool in stopping the spread of COVID-19, tracking the virus, and saving lives –– and we will continue to deploy our vital testing resources where the data and science tell us they will do the most good,” said Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti. “Our new San Fernando Park site will deliver critical support to a community hit hard by this pandemic, and ensure Valley residents know their status and take the necessary steps to protect themselves and those around them.”
The San Fernando Park testing site is the latest result of the ongoing partnership between the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office; the lab partner, Curative; the non-profit organization, Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE); and the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).
The walk-up super site will offer up to 3,000 COVID-19 tests each day at 208 Park Avenue in San Fernando, and will operate Tuesday through Saturday from 8:00am – 4:00pm. The site will also be able to deliver up to 500 flu vaccines per day. In the weeks ahead, the site will also begin to enable residents to participate in the City’s ongoing rapid antigen testing pilot.
“The San Fernando City Council is pleased to work with Mayor Garcetti and the Los Angeles Fire Department to set up a COVID-19 testing facility at San Fernando Recreation Park,” said San Fernando City Manager Nick Kimball. “The City of San Fernando has been working diligently to support residents and businesses by hosting food distribution events, issuing personal protective equipment, and providing timely information. The testing facility at San Fernando Recreation Park will further that effort by providing access to critical services for the residents of San Fernando and the Northeast Valley.”
“Curative is honored to be partnering with the City of Los Angeles for the San Fernando Park super site that has COVID-19 testing capabilities on a scale never before seen in this country, providing Angelenos with all the resources they need to protect themselves and others during this current surge of infections,” said Fred Turner, CEO and co-founder of Curative. “Curative’s goal is to make testing more available and accessible to everyone, and the super site will provide multiple COVID-19 test options as well as flu shots. Our unique, observed and directed self-collected oral fluid swab PCR COVID-19 test offers a painless, simple option with quick 24 to 48-hour results at no cost to patients.”
The Mayor’s Office utilizes data including weekly case numbers, positivity rates, testing site capacity, and demand, to determine where to deploy fixed and mobile testing services. The San Fernando Park location will be a walk-up site with strict COVID-19 safety protocols established by LAFD. It is designed to complement the services provided at the Hansen Dam drive-through site and expand access to Angelenos who may not have access to a car.
The City of Los Angeles, in partnership with Curative, CORE, and the LAFD, operates one of the largest municipal testing programs in the country, including the largest testing site in the nation at Dodger Stadium. The City launched its program in March to test first responders and vulnerable individuals, and quickly expanded to offer free testing to all residents, with or without symptoms. Since then, the City has tested over 2.24 million people and can test over 38,000 people each day across ten City testing sites.
Angelenos who would like to visit the San Fernando Park site, or any of the City’s other 9 testing sites can visit coronavirus.lacity.org/testing. (AJPress)
