Bay Area City Offers Free Test to Every Resident: One of First in World
Thank you to SFGATE for letting us know that Bolinas (1,600 popularion) is attempting to be one of the first cities in the world to offer free COVID-19 testing to every resident.
Why Try to Test Everyone?
The Italian town of Vo, pop. 3,300, was the first to test its entire community for COVID-19.
89 people tested positive and were quarantined. The team traced their recent contacts and quarantined them too, whether or not they had symptoms. In a second round of testing 6 people tested positive and 14 days later they had eradicated coronavirus in Vo.
Our goal is to create a playbook for communities around the Bay Area and the world to launch their own testing initiatives to fight the virus. Read more on gofundme
Through a collaborative effort between Coastal Health Alliance, the Bolinas Fire Department, Marin County Department of Public Health, Mesa Park, volunteers, and UCSF Infectious Disease experts, all residents of Bolinas aged 4 and up can safely be tested for COVID-19, free of charge.
Drive-Thru Testing for Bolinas Residents
April 20th-23rd at Mesa Park
How do I sign up? Schedule your testing appointment by clicking the Schedule button on this website. If you have difficulty, you may call 415-868-1141.
Who can participate? Anyone four years of age or older who is residing in Bolinas, California is welcome and encouraged to participate. The testing of children will require parental presence at the time of testing.
What is the testing process? The test will consist of a swab of the inside of the mouth, and a “prick” of the finger (not a full blood draw).UCSF will provide the vials for the samples and their MDs will come to Bolinas to demonstrate and train the phlebotomists and first responders who collect the samples while wearing appropriate protective equipment at all times.
How will I know my results? The UCSF Infectious Disease staff will make test results available for all individuals and at the time of Registration and Appointment scheduling you will be asked to provide contact information to allow you to receive these results.
I have more questions – where can I get those answered? The Coastal Health Alliance and the Bolinas Testing group websites will have additional resources posted on their website at http://coastalhealth.net/ and bolinastesting.org. The Coastal Health Alliance will offer phone consultations for those who test positive.
This is an incredible opportunity for us to protect our elderly, first responders, and town-sustaining workers while contributing to research that will benefit every Bolinas community member and the entire Bay Area.
They are raising funds to cover the cost of the testing. Please help to provide this important service to our community. To make a donation click here.
