New COVID-19 testing clinic opens near Boeing site

Health care workers with the City of Long Beach Department of Public Health administer PCR (polymerase chain reaction) COVID-19 tests to people waiting in their cars at the Veterans Memorial Stadium parking lot in Long Beach on Jan. 3, 2022. (Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune)

Due to increased cases of COVID-19, the Long Beach Health Department today opened an expanded drive-thru and walk-up testing site for residents.

With the capacity to test 3,000 people a day, the public testing clinic will be located in the former Boeing parking lot, near 3590 E. Wardlow Road.

The Boeing site will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30 to 5 p.m. weekdays.

Additional city testing sites are at Veterans Stadium, Doris Topsy-Elvord Community Center and Cal State Long Beach.

With the opening of the Boeing site, the previous public testing site at Long Beach City College’s Pacific Coast Campus transitioned Monday to offer vaccines only, no testing.

A testing site at Cabrillo High School, 2001 Santa Fe Ave., is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, but it is restricted solely for Long Beach Unified School District employees and students “who are symptomatic or who need a clear test to return to school following a COVID-19 infection or post-quarantine.”

The Cabrillo High site will be open to the general public on weekends.

To date, the Health Department has administered 741,114 COVID-19 tests, free of charge, in Long Beach.

Since the most recent surge, which began in late December, the city of Long Beach has regularly administered 5,000 or more tests per day. On Jan. 5, the city administered 7,382 tests, which is the highest recorded since the start of the pandemic.

Health Department officials said people should get tested if any symptoms are present or if they have been in close contact with someone who has or is suspected to have the virus, regardless of vaccination status.

Testing appointments can be made at longbeach.gov/covid19testing or by calling 562-570-4636.

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