Results announced from first day of COVID-19 testing by City of Hayward
HAYWARD, Calif., March 26, 2020—Fifty-four of 207 people who were tested on the first day of operation of the City of Hayward’s new COVID-19 Testing Center on Monday had positive test results for the infection.
Samples that test positive at the City’s partner laboratory, Avellino Lab of Menlo Park, are retested and the results are reported immediately to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Confirmed positive results also are shared immediately by Hayward Fire Department medical clinicians with the person found to have the infection—and later are reported by Hayward to public health officials in the county of residence of the individual.
In most cases, people who test positive through the Hayward Center will learn the results in six hours or by the next day.
Differing county-by-county protocols may mean that results from the Hayward Testing Center will be added to each county’s aggregate confirmed case total in different ways and at different intervals.
The City of Hayward intends to publicly report positive result approximately 48 hours after each day’s testing. It is disclosing the information to help residents understand the prevalence of coronavirus infection and reiterate the importance of compliance with shelter-in-place orders and other social distancing and hygiene precautions.
The Testing Center, at Hayward Fire Station #7, 28270 Huntwood Avenue in South Hayward, is scheduled to open every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Generally, the Center, in partnership with Avellino Lab, will be able to process up to 370 samples a day—though daily maximums will fluctuate.
On Thursday and potentially Friday, the number of tests taken at the Center will be reduced and the Center will close early to allow testing teams of Hayward firefighter-paramedics to conduct mobile targeted testing of vulnerable populations elsewhere in the community.
To get to the Testing Center, members of the general public should enter Huntwood Avenue at Industrial Boulevard—then proceed north to curbside screening locations or backs of lines that lead to them.
Under new traffic management practices, people can join drive-up and walk-up lines up until 10 a.m. each morning and again between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. in the afternoon—or until the test site approaches the maximum number of tests that can be performed that day.
The testing is free and is available to anyone who meets testing criteria, regardless of where they live or immigration status. Symptoms or conditions qualifying members of the general public for testing are fever above 100 degrees, or any of the following:
- Shortness of breath or other respiratory symptoms;
- Recent travel to Europe or Asia;
- Recent exposure to confirmed or suspected coronavirus;
- Other chronic diseases or conditions, such as blood disorders, kidney or liver disease, diabetes, heart, lung or neurological disease, and compromised immune system;
- Over the age of 65;
- Currently or recently pregnant; or
- Homeless
First responders and health-care workers with recent suspected exposures to coronavirus are invited to call the City’s COVID-19 hotline (510) 583-4949 to make an appointment for testing.
For more information about COVID-19 and how the City of Hayward is responding to the pandemic, go online to the City’s COVID-19 Updates webpage.
Download the full News Release.
