(SFGate) Santa Clara County launched a door-to-door coronavirus testing effort this week to curb a pandemic that’s spiraling out of control.
Community leaders started knocking on doors Thursday, offering free tests that people can choose to self-administer with nose swabs. Results are delivered in 24 to 48 hours.
The program started with a focus on neighborhoods in East San Jose, where 55% of the population is Latino and many can’t easily access testing.
“We recognize our communities in East San Jose are being hardest hit by the COVID pandemic,” said Dr. Analilia Garcia, the county’s racial and health equity director. “For the last few months, we have been working with community partners to do outreach and engagement. We recognize there’s fear and mistrust about COVID-19 and especially testing and what people can expect if they test positive. We have been focused on bringing testing into neighborhoods and households as another opportunity to mitigate the barriers to accessing a test.”