Riverside County Public Health reminds residents to get tested for COVID

Riverside County is reminding people that testing is still an important defense against spreading coronavirus.

"Maybe twice as many people should be tested every day as we're testing to really get a good accurate count," said Michael Osur, the assistant Director at Riverside County Department of Public Health.

The slow-stream of cars Thursday afternoon at a testing site in Indio shows less people are getting tested now, than they were at the beginning of the pandemic.

"In early July, we were testing less than 100 per 100,000 so we ramped up the testing as a need arises," Osur said.

Sydney Smith, who works as a security guard at the site, says mornings usually attract more people.

"They know that it's going to be shut down by 3 o'clock, so they try to get in here as early as possible," Smith said.

The county is continuing to offer free COVID testing as well as vaccines to members of the community as the Delta variant accounts for most new infection cases.

Health officials say getting vaccinated is the best way to stay protected against the virus. Nearly 45% of all Riverside County is fully vaccinated, while nearly 52% have one dose. But, if you're unvaccinated, taking other measures like mask wearing and getting tested regularly, can help communities track potential case surges. A test can't determine how much of the virus you may have, but that's why it's important to monitor for symptoms.

The Riverside County Health Department says every positive COVID test across California gets reported through a state-run system called CalReady. The data of how many people are testing positive is accurate but, there is generally a slight delay before the information gets into the system.

"We use the numbers from the week before, and do an average of that week," Osur said.

If you would like more information on where to set up an appointment for free testing or to get your COVID-19 vaccine, visit the county's website or call (951) 358-5000.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more developments.