More pop-up COVID-19 testing sites open in Santa Clara Co. as cases surge

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Some sites are open for COVID-19 testing on a rolling basis, but this is the first time the San Jose Evergreen Community College Extension at Milpitas hosted a pop-up coronavirus testing site.

Testing started at 11 a.m. and will run until 5:30 p.m. Tuesday with no appointments needed. They have enough tests to accommodate 500 people.

RELATED: 'Big Step:' Santa Clara Co. debuts self-swab COVID-19 testing in East San Jose

Santa Clara county has averaged more than 110,000 tests a week since the post-thanksgiving surge of COVID-19 cases.

Meanwhile, the county now reports 607 COVID-related deaths since the start of the pandemic, more than any other Bay Area county.

RELATED: Skilled nursing frontline workers get first COVID-19 vaccines available in Santa Clara County

Julian Glover spoke to the nurse running Tuesday's clinic and he said these pop-up testing clinics throughout the county are crucial to making it easier for people to access a test.

"Mobile sites, I think a lot of people in the community are thankful for because we are coming to them," said Mike Kim, the Clinical Nurse Lead. "And if you're able to come to testing sites near you it could also help us to not overcrowd other places. However, our goal at the end of the day is to test as many as possible."

ABC7 News was also in Morgan Hill Tuesday morning as another pop-up testing site opened at 9:30 a.m. at the Council Chamber Building. A small number of people were lining up before the doors opened.

RELATED: 60 San Francisco firefighters test positive for COVID-19, city says vaccinations are coming

The county also has two pop-up sites running in areas that have been hot spots for the virus: out in East San Jose at Emmanuel Baptist Church and the South County Annex Building in Gilroy.

Full list of sites is available at the SCC government website.

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