MERCED COUNTY, CA – County health officials are excited to announce that additional COVID-19 testing will soon be available to all residents who wish to be tested. The expansion comes on the heels of Governor Newsom’s announcement to support counties across California with supplementary COVID19 testing. Merced County was recently selected as one of 80 community testing sites across the State.

The Merced County Department of Public Health (Department) will launch increased testing capabilities through a partnership with the State of California (State) and OptumServe, a private health services company contracted by the State, which will coordinate a majority of the efforts.

“We are grateful for the partnership with the State of California and OptumServe,” said Dr. Rebecca Nanyonjo-Kemp, Director of Merced County Department of Public Health. “With additional testing, we will be able to ascertain more accurate information about the transmission of this virus, which will assist health officials in determining the best course of action to protect our community.”

The testing site will open to the community at large beginning Monday, May 4, 2020. Moving forward, it will be available Monday—Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Merced County Fairgrounds located at 900 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Merced.

A soft opening of the site was held Thursday and Friday and provided testing for first responders, health care personnel, and a limited number of individuals from the public. This new testing site will allow for more than 100 additional tests a day.

Testing guidelines issued by the State were also updated to include and prioritize asymptomatic individuals that may be at a higher risk of exposure, like healthcare providers and residents of congregate living facilities.

Testing will be available by appointment or walk-in. Online Registration for testing can be done at: https://lhi.care/covidtesting or for residents without internet access call 1-888-634-1123.