Ventura County Will Launch Its Largest Covid-19 Testing Site at The Ventura Fairgrounds

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Ventura County’s largest covid-19 testing site will take place at the Ventura County Fairgrounds as cases continue to surge and ICU beds begin to dwindle.

Photo of Covid-19 testing site, Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, by The Big Magazine

Officials announced on Wednesday (July 29) that Ventura County will expand its coronavirus testing and contact tracing efforts with the launch of a massive mega drive thru testing site at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

Beginning Aug. 10, the VCF site will be capable of collecting up to 1,500 specimens a day, according to Patrick Maynard, director of the Office of Emergency Services. So far, the County has nearly reached 7000 covid-19 cases with 6998 confirmed cases. Seventy-three people have died in Ventura County because COVID-19. Maynard claims over 65,000 tests have been conducted since the drive-up testing sites opened a few months ago.

“We have witnessed some long lines, and some extended wait times at many of our sites,” Maynard said. “We understand the frustration and anxiety these circumstances may caused you over the past two weeks.”

The large scale testing site is an essential need as the demand for testing has skyrocketed in the past few weeks in Ventura County. Since May 26th, the Dodger Stadium, in Los Angeles has been hosting thousands of Angelenos as part of this city’s initiative — the first in the nation — to offer free testing for all residents.

CORE, which stands for Community Organized Relief Effort, and co-founded by celebrity Sean Penn, has been at the helm of the effort. The organization, which had no prior experience with testing, has conducted about 820,000 tests across 41 sites and mobile units in California, New York, and more across the Nation. In Los Angeles County alone the group is running six of the City's free testing sites, along with several mobile units, to aid in the area’s most vulnerable communities.

Photo of Sean Penn at CORE covid-19 testing site in Malibu, California in March 2020

CORE 's Dodger Stadium testing site currently has the ability to test 15,000 people every day in Los Angeles, with results currently coming back from a third-party lab in 24 to 48 hours.

While smaller in comparison to Los Angeles County, Ventura will try to match testing efforts by offering a quick turnaround time for results (within 3 days of getting tested) by using electronic notifications which could be a game changer.

As of Wednesday, the county’s public health director, Rigoberto Vargas, announced another 104 cases along with three deaths while hospitalizations are on the rise.

Last week, health officials said Ventura County could face a strain on hospital resources if the surge in cases continues. Ventura County is on a state's monitoring list due to its high number of new cases and remains frozen in the re-opening phase.

Drive-thru testing sites are available to the public and do not require a referral from a doctor's office. Tests are free and conducted on a first-come, first-serve basis from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more info on available coronavirus testing in Ventura County visit: www.venturacountyrecovers.org