PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA – To accommodate the steep increased demand for COVID-19 testing, starting Monday, Jan. 10, the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) will expand its testing for residents to include a new, larger drive-thru and walk-up testing clinic in the former Boeing parking lot located near 3590 E. Wardlow Rd. With this implementation of this larger site, the Long Beach City College, Pacific Coast Campus (PCC) locations will transition to a vaccine-only site. In addition, the City will begin offering COVID-19 tests to Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) students, faculty and staff.

“As an educator, I know how important it is for us to partner with our school district to protect the health of our community,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “This new testing clinic will allow LBUSD to continue their important work as safely as possible.”

Following the introduction of the Omicron variant, COVID-19 cases continue to rise. The current positivity rate is 25.8%, and the case rate is 202.4 per 100,000--the highest the City has ever seen.

“We are pleased to be working with the school district to offer this much-needed testing,” said City Health Officer Dr. Anissa Davis. “It’s important that people stay home when they’re sick and be tested if they suspect they have COVID-19 or have been exposed to the virus.”

Long Beach Unified, which educates nearly 70,000 students, from pre-kindergarten to high school, has been able to open its doors this winter with minimal interruption.

“Our top priority is keeping our schools open,” LBUSD Superintendent Jill A. Baker said. “The positive impact that in-person learning has on our students cannot be overstated. The best way to keep our schools open is to ensure students and staff have access to vaccines and testing. We are extremely thankful for our ongoing partnerships with the City of Long Beach and the Long Beach Health Department to make vaccines and testing widely available for our students, staff and greater LBUSD community.”

The new clinic is restricted to LBUSD employees and students who are symptomatic or who need a clear test to return to school following a COVID-19 infection or post-quarantine. It will have the capacity to test up to 5,000 people per week. Asymptomatic testing, including the testing of student athletes, is not available at this site. The testing clinic will not provide tests to parents or guardians of students; those who are not students or faculty will be turned away. Staff should be prepared to show LBUSD-issued identification. The clinic will be available weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a break for lunch from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., at Cabrillo High School (2001 Santa Fe Ave.). Both antigen rapid tests and PCR tests will be available. Appointments are not required.

The new public testing location in the former Boeing parking lot will have the capacity to test approximately 3,000 people a day, nearly doubling that of the PCC location. The full testing schedule, effective Monday, Jan. 10, is as follows:

• Long Beach City College, Veterans Stadium (5000 E. Lew Davis St.)
  • Weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30 to 6 p.m.
• Doris Topsy-Elvord Community Center at Houghton Park (6301 Myrtle Ave.)
  • Weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30 to 5:00 p.m.
  • Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Cabrillo High School (2001 Santa Fe Ave.)
  • Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30 to 5 p.m.
  • These weekend clinics are open to all (not only LBUSD)
• California State University, Long Beach (6049 E. 7th St.)
  • Monday, Jan. 24 and Monday, Jan. 31 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Wednesday, Jan. 19 and Wednesday, Jan. 26, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Please note that rapid tests are not available at this site.
• 3590 E. Wardlow Rd.
  • Weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
  • This location, which will allow for a high volume of testing to take place, replaces the former Long Beach Pacific Coast Campus testing location.

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 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.

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. It is important for people to make testing appointments and arrive according to their scheduled date and time. High demand has impacted wait times for appointments, but the City has ample tests available, and test results are generally available within 48 hours. Non-appointments are available at each of the five clinic locations; those without an appointment should be prepared to potentially wait for a significantly longer time due to the number of scheduled appointments.

Testing appointments can be made at longbeach.gov/covid19testing or by calling 562.570.4636. People also may contact their healthcare provider or area pharmacies to get tested, subject to availability. For other sites across Los Angeles County, people can visit https://covid19.lacounty.gov/testing/.