DAVIS, Calif. (April 22, 2022) — Beginning in May, Healthy Davis Together (HDT) will still offer free COVID-19 testing for individuals with or without symptoms at the community test site Veterans Memorial Center (VMC) in Davis. In addition, free COVID-19 testing for people without symptoms will be available at The ARC on the UC Davis campus, which primarily serves UC Davis students, faculty and staff but is open to the public through June. Healthy Yolo Together (HYT) testing operations in West Sacramento and Woodland will also offer free COVID-19 testing through June.
The final day to get tested at HDT’s Research Park location will be Thursday, April 28. Consolidating community testing in Davis to the VMC testing location is part of the wind-down strategy for the HDT testing program, which will end on June 30.
Originally expected to end in 2021, Healthy Davis Together was able to meet community testing needs during the Omicron surge and extend testing through June with funding support from Yolo County and the cities of Davis, West Sacramento and Woodland. Since community testing began in November 2020, Healthy Davis Together has conducted more than 798,000 COVID-19 tests at HDT, HYT and school test sites and detected 13,540 positive cases.
“Testing remains important for anyone who has symptoms or has been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, even if they are vaccinated and boosted,” said Dr. Sheri Belafsky, medical director for Healthy Davis Together and director of the Medical Surveillance Program for UC Davis Health. “The Davis and Yolo County communities came together during the COVID-19 public health crisis to regularly test and adopt safe behaviors. As we transition into the next phase of the pandemic, we remain ready to meet testing needs in May and June at HDT and HYT testing sites.”
While HDT testing will end, wastewater monitoring in Davis will continue through the fall, with results posted weekly on the Healthy Davis Together website. The virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) can shed in the stool of infected individuals, including those who do not yet have symptoms or who never develop symptoms. Regular testing of wastewater can detect spikes and be used as an early warning detection system so action can be taken to help prevent further spread.
Visit HeathyDavisTogether.org/testing for more information, to schedule an appointment and to check for testing location updates before your appointment or walk-in visit. All sites have free parking, though capacity is limited.
For more information on testing availability throughout Yolo County, visit the county testing site at: www.yolocounty.org/coronavirus.
Every U.S. household is eligible to order up to eight free at-home COVID-19 test kits. To order free test kits visit www.covid.gov.
Press Contact: [email protected]
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About Healthy Davis Together
Healthy Davis Together is a joint project between the city of Davis, CA and UC Davis. The goal is to protect the community against COVID-19 and facilitate a coordinated and gradual return to normal city activities and student life. For more information, visit HealthyDavisTogether.org
To connect with Healthy Davis Together via Facebook, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/HealthyDavisTogether/
To connect with Healthy Davis Together via Twitter, please visit: https://twitter.com/healthydavis
To connect with Healthy Davis Together via Instagram, please visit: https://www.instagram.com/healthydavistogether/
