The state of California in partnership with Solano County is providing free, appointment- based Coronavirus testing for residents who suspect they may have been infected, or are experiencing symptoms. Contacting a doctor first to schedule a nasal swab test is not required.
To make an appointment see the website www.LHI. CARE/COVIDTESTING, or if online access is not available, you may call toll free (888) 634-1123. Office hours and lab tests are from 7 AM until 7 PM weekdays only. Currently, two lab locations are open for on-request testing. They are located at 1681 E Monte Vista Avenue in Vacaville and 1121 Whitney Avenue in Vallejo. Appointments are required. Walk-ins will not be tested. The labs are operated under contract by the State and County with OptumServe Corporation. OptumServe is a subsidiary of UnitedHealthCare offering health services for ‘under served’ communities within the United States. They will bill your medical insurance if you are covered by a health plan. Those without medical insurance (such as laid-off or unemployed workers or the homeless) can still be tested and OptumServe will be paid by the State of California.
Test results will be available within 48 to 72 hours. The Solano County Department of Health warns that an individual experiencing severe symptoms should not wait to schedule a test, but immediately contact their doctor or call the nearest local hospital emergency number. Severe symptoms are. •
- High Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Sore throat
- The recent loss of taste or smell
- Blueish lips or face
- Newly demonstrated confusion or inability to rouse
This warning is especially important for high-risk individuals such as those over 65 years old, people with compromised immunity, individuals with chronic heart disease, diabetes, or lung disease, and smokers. Patients in the high-risk category are the most prone to an extended illness and account for higher instances of fatality.
In addition to Optum- Serve, the County supports “Project Baseline” which also offers free virus testing. This testing is primarily aimed at highrisk individuals or those with possible COVID-19 symptoms, and costs are paid for under a Federal health program. This is a same-day appointmentbased test available on a drive-through basis. There are over 200 test sites throughout California, though none are in Solano County. The nearest for a Rio Vista resident would be in Stockton or Sacramento. See the State of California web site www. covid19.ca.gov for more information, or to schedule an appointment. County residents are advised to be wary of solicitations offering unscheduled lab tests for a fee, sale of purported coronavirus vaccine, or over the counter drugs or vitamins claiming to increase immunity. Currently, there is no vaccine against COVID- 19. Nor are there any non-prescription products that will prevent the virus or ease the symptoms. Though doctor ordered tests at reputable labs such as Quest and LabCorp are safe, they may cost the patient. The best advice is to check the County provided sources first.
For additional information about COVID-19 and where to get testing, see the County of Solano website, or visit the State of California www.covid19. ca.gov web address. For national information the Federal CDC website is www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.