Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/coronavirus-testing/)
Six weeks after the drive-through testing site opened at the Anaheim Convention Center, two county supervisors want to direct staff to translate sign-up forms for the testing site and create a call center in multiple languages.
It’s taken Orange County officials at least four weeks to offer a non-English sign-up form for their largest coronavirus testing site.
Both West Anaheim and Santa Ana are home to many Latino immigrant families for whom English is not their first language.
Hospitals in the county are now likely to see even more virus patients in the coming weeks after two weeks of sharp increases of newly-reported cases.
The drive-through site is expected to increase the county’s testing capacity by about 10 percent amid a shortage that’s been leading to week-long wait times.
Orange County is among many regions facing shortages on two key components to slow Coronavirus spread – testing and contact tracing.
The City Council voted unanimously to end negotiations with their chosen contractor after it said multiple misrepresentations were given to the council and city staff.
Also known as serology tests, the antibody tests currently have a high rate of false positives and immunity, experts say, with county health officials cautioning they’re not yet recommended for individual tests and immunity is not yet understood for COVID-19.
After repeated questions – from Voice of OC, county supervisors and the public – officials say they’re now starting to look into collecting such information.
When it comes to the share of residents who have gotten tested, Orange County continues to lag behind other large California counties.