Tim Parsons / Tahoe Onstage
Covid-19 cases are spiking in the South Lake Tahoe area. There are 66 confirmed cases as of June 19, up from 28 a little more than three weeks earlier. There are 130 confirmed cases in the county and no deaths.
South Lake Tahoe residents have been getting tested at Lake Tahoe Community College for coronavirus since May 5.
On the first day, El Dorado County residents were admitted one by one into Lake Tahoe Community College’ gymnasium to have nasal swabs from a registered nurse. Appointments for both systematic and asystematic people had to be made — either by phone or online – to receive a test for Covid-19.
At midday, no one had missed their appointment and the daily maximum 132 tests were expected to be conducted.
“The more people we can get tested, the faster we can open California and Tahoe,” said Deborah Sherry, the onsite administrator.
To register for an appointment, visit https://lhi.care/covidtesting or call (888) 634-1123.
Patients who enter the campus are greeted at the parking lot entrance by security guards, who direct them to the library to sign in. From there, they go to the Physical Education Building, where at 2 p.m. people waited outside, spaced wide apart from others. A mask is given to people before they enter the building.
One woman in line said she was feeling OK. “I have a 97-year-old mother in the Bay Area who I’m going to go visit,” she said. “I just want to make sure I am good to go.”
Test results take 48 to 72 hours. If someone tests positive, they will be contacted by a nurse. Otherwise, they can confirm they are fine the same way they made their appointment, by calling or checking online.
The entire process takes about 15 minutes and the actual test about one minute.
Testing is administered from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. all this week and for as many as eight weeks, depending on the demand, Sherry said. There will no tests conducted Sundays and Mondays.
Antibody testing to detect if someone has already been exposed to the virus will not be offered at this time.
-Tim Parsons
