All L.A. County residents with symptoms can now get coronavirus tests. Here’s how it works

Drive-thru coronavirus testing at Crenshaw Christian Center

April 7, 2020 Updated 1:10 PM PT

Los Angeles County is expanding coronavirus testing to more people.

Officials emphasized that the expansion doesn’t necessarily mean there will be enough tests for everyone who wants one, but it should increase access to the tests.

Here is what we know:

Testing changes

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Monday evening that any resident who has symptoms and wants to be tested for the coronavirus can now apply online to be tested. The new regimen applies to anyone in Los Angeles County.

Testing was previously limited to vulnerable populations, including those 65 and older and those with compromised immune systems.

Thanks to expanded testing capacity through city and county partnerships, there are no longer limits to who can be tested at the sites across the county.

“Now that doesn’t mean we’ll have a test for everybody tomorrow,” Garcetti said, “but it means that our capacity is now greater than the number that we are getting through the requirements that we had.”

Testing centers

Antelope Valley Mall, 1233 Rancho Vista Blvd., Palmdale
Pomona Fairplex Gate 17, West McKinley/Fairplex Drive
South Bay Galleria, 1815 Hawthorne Blvd., Redondo Beach
Carbon Health, Echo Park, 2110 Sunset Blvd., Suite M (walk-up only)
Crenshaw Christian Center, 7901 S. Vermont Ave.
Glendale Memorial Hospital, 222 W. Eulalia St., Glendale
Hansen Dam Recreational Center, 11798 Foothill Blvd., Lake View Terrace (entrance on Osborne Street
High Desert Medical Group, 43839 15th St. W., Lancaster
Hotchkin Memorial Training Center, 1700 Stadium Way, Los Angeles
Veterans Affairs Parking Lot 15, 100 Constitution Ave., Los Angeles (at the corner of Constitution and Davis)
Northridge Hospital Medical Center, 18460 Roscoe Blvd., Northridge (enter on Reseda Boulevard)

The county said it is planning this week to open sites at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, East Los Angeles and Santa Clarita.

The city of Long Beach on Tuesday announced the opening of an appointment-only drive-through COVID-19 testing center. The site is next to its new rapid assessment clinic at Long Beach City College, 1305 E. Pacific Coast Highway.

Residents can visit the city’s COVID-19 testing page for more information.

The process

County residents desiring a test can register in advance after completing an online questionnaire. Walk-up appointments are not offered at most locations.

The tests are self-administered, and people will be instructed on how to swab their own mouths or throats when they arrive.

The testing process takes five to 10 minutes, but waiting times for results may vary.

Officials emphasized that anyone with severe symptoms should call their doctor or 911.

Here are more details about the testing process.

Additional information can be found here.

The numbers

Roughly 52,000 people have been tested for COVID-19 in L.A. County, Garcetti said, or 40% of all tests administered in California.

Testing is considered a crucial way of tracking and potentially slowing the spread of the coronavirus, health experts say.

In Los Angeles County, there have been more than 6,300 confirmed cases of the virus.

More to Read

California COVID-19 Pandemic

Luke Money

Luke Money is an assistant editor on the Fast Break Desk, the Los Angeles Times’ breaking news team. He joined the newsroom as a reporter in 2020, specializing in breaking news and coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. He previously was a reporter and assistant city editor for the Daily Pilot and before that covered education, politics and government for the Santa Clarita Valley Signal. He earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Arizona.

Laura Newberry

Laura Newberry is a former reporter with the lifestyle section at the Los Angeles Times. She wrote Group Therapy, a weekly newsletter that answers readers’ questions about mental health. She previously worked on The Times’ education team and was a staff reporter at both the Reading Eagle in Eastern Pennsylvania and MassLive in Western Massachusetts. She graduated from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism and also has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Central Florida.

Jaclyn Cosgrove

Jaclyn Cosgrove is a reporter at the Los Angeles Times who writes about L.A. County government, with a focus on the county’s mental health treatment system. Previously, Cosgrove worked at the Oklahoman, where they wrote extensively about the state’s mental health and substance use treatment system. They are a graduate of Oklahoma State University and have a master of legal studies degree from UCLA School of Law.