Riverside County residents who do not have symptoms but want to be tested for coronavirus will now be able to after health officials modified the guidelines for testing. Meanwhile, a fifth Riverside County community testing site has been established in Blythe for residents who want to be tested for coronavirus (COVID-19)....
Those who want to be tested must call...for an appointment. Drive-ups without appointments cannot be accommodated.
Dr. Cameron Kaiser, Riverside County public health officer, said the modification of the testing criteria will allow anyone who wants to be tested the opportunity to see whether they have the illness. Officials have said expanded testing -- for those with and without symptoms -- will give health experts a better idea of the extent of the illness in Riverside County.
..."We're testing people already when they're sick, but we need to understand how COVID-19 is affecting people who may generally feel well, including kids,” said Dr. Cameron Kaiser, public health officer for the County of Riverside. "That’s going to be a key indicator for understanding how it spreads and knowing where our areas of concern are when we think about if and how much to open things again."...
...The Indio, Lake Elsinore and Riverside locations have been in operation for weeks and the Perris location opened on Tuesday (April 14), resulting in thousands of residents receiving help. As of April 16, Riverside County health officials confirmed 2,105 cases of COVID-19 and 54 residents died from the virus. More than 400 county residents have recovered from COVID-19
and more than 29,000 residents have been tested....
