Home COVID tests are in short supply. How can you find one in SLO County?

While omicron spreads coronavirus throughout San Luis Obispo County, one thing is at the top of everyone’s wish list: a COVID-19 rapid test.

The winter surge in cases paired with new state and county guidelines on how to quarantine and isolate have increased demand for testing, especially rapid tests that people can take at home and that give results without waiting two days.

In San Luis Obispo County, that need for multiple tests per person over a matter of days has created a race for rapid antigen tests and long lines at community test sites.

“We do know that the rapid test antigen tests, they’re in short supply and not meeting the demand,” Dr. Penny Borenstein, San Luis Obispo County Health officer, said in an interview last week.

Borenstein said last week was the first time the county struggled to accommodate the community’s need for COVID-19 tests at the four clinics.

“The demand is outstripping our capacity,” she said. “We are attempting to add amount more capacity in the coming week, but we have some facility limitations, so we’re not sure if we’ll be able to get there.”

Demand grows for at-home rapid tests

With county test sites stretched thin, people are turning to at-home coronavirus test kits.

“I’ve heard from many people who have gone to a variety of different pharmacies to try to find one and think after their seventh try if they get one that they’ve scored,” Borenstein said last week.

As of Monday, however, it seems that nobody is scoring antigen tests from local pharmacies. But that could change at any time, depending on when shipments arrive.

The Rite Aid stores at 1151 Creston Road in Paso Robles and 7025 El Camino Real in Atascadero were sold out of antigen tests on Monday afternoon.

The people who work at the locations said the next delivery is scheduled for Friday, but as the Atascadero location pointed out, none were delivered to the store last Friday either.

“I just ordered some and we’ll find out if they come in,” said the Rite Aid employee, who did not want their name in the article.

The situation is the same in the South County.

A person working at the CVS at 827 Oak Park Blvd. in Pismo Beach said they never know if and when antigen tests will be shipped to the store.

There are other testing options besides at-home antigen tests and community test sites run by the Public Health Department.

Urgent care centers and other private testing sites throughout the county offer antigen and/or Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, but the availability of these tests is unclear.

The Tribune called Med Stop, an urgent care center in San Luis Obispo, to inquire about tests but they declined to comment.

The San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport COVID Clinic offers a variety of coronavirus testing services, from diagnostic to antibody tests, for a fee.

The airport COVID Clinic adjusted its hours to be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Jan. 9-15 instead of the typical 12-hour schedule. The soonest available appointment for a $129 antigen test is Saturday, Jan. 23.

Patients looking for a diagnosis can schedule a PCR test as soon as Jan. 13, but it takes up to two days to get the results.

The best advice for anyone looking for the tests is to try multiple places and check back regularly.

The governor asks for more money for coronavirus testing

Over the weekend, the state turned an eye toward the COVID-19 testing crisis and introduced a number of new proposals and state actions.

On Saturday, Gov. Gavin Newsom called on state lawmakers to approve a $1.4 billion COVID-19 relief package, according to a news release.

The majority of this package — $1.2 billion — would go toward expanding coronavirus testing. A core component of this proposal is distributing millions of antigen tests to local health departments throughout the state.

He later issued an executive order to prevent price gouging on antigen tests.

The COVID-19 relief proposal and executive order comes one day after the governor activated the California National Guard to shore up testing efforts in communities across the state, according to a news release.

Michelle Shoresman, spokeswoman for the Public Health Department, said the agency doesn’t have any more information about COVID-19 testing in the county or any of the measures from the state as of Monday, but may know more later in the week.

Quarantine vs. isolation

The state health department rules say that anyone exposed to COVID-19 must quarantine for at least five days and up to 10 days.

The exposed individual must test negative for the coronavirus in order to leave quarantine before the 10-day mark. Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 after five days of quarantining must move into isolation, which is stricter than quarantine.

Isolation requires that the COVID-19 patient sequester themselves from other household members by staying in a sick room and wearing a mask in any shared household space for at least 10 days, until symptoms subside and the patient tests negative.

Quarantine requires that the exposed person wear a mask and stay away from people but does not require staying in a sick room, according to Public Health guidelines.

Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 after five days of quarantining must isolate from people for at least five days and test negative for the coronavirus and be symptom-free in order to leave isolation before the 10-day mark, according to Public Health.

Get a free PCR test from San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department

Despite constraints, free coronavirus testing is available at clinics in San Luis Obispo, Grover Beach, Paso Robles and Morro Bay. To make an appointment, visit www.slocounty.ca.gov/COVID-19/COVID-19-Testing or call 888-634-1123 to register by phone.

Testing is available at the following four sites Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The testing site will be closed on Jan. 17.

• San Luis Obispo: 801 Grand Ave.
• Grover Beach: 1336 Ramona Ave #A
• Morro Bay: 209 Surf St.
• Paso Robles: 800 Pine St.

It can take up to two days for the laboratory to process the results of a PCR test, but these tests are more sensitive, meaning they have fewer false negatives, and more specific, meaning fewer false positives, than at-home antigen tests.

Where to purchase at-home testing kits in SLO County

When available, at-home test kits can be purchased at local pharmacies, CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens locations, and other places.

The Food and Drug Administration has a list of authorized manufacturers of at-home testing kits on its website at bit.ly/fdarapidtests.

Here are some of the places where at-home testing kits can be purchased, depending on availability:

• Arroyo Grande: CVS at 1435 East Grand Ave.
  
  
• Atascadero: CVS at 8320 El Camino Real; Rite Aid at 7025 El Camino Real; Walgreens at 8005 El Camino Real
• Los Osos: Rite-Aid at 1110 Los Osos Valley Road
• Morro Bay: Rite-Aid at 740 Quintana Road
  
  
• Nipomo: CVS at 810 West Tefft St.
  
  
• Paso Robles: CVS at 2305 Theater Drive and 187 Niblick Road; Rite-Aid at 1151 Creston Road and 2424 Spring St.
• Pismo Beach: CVS at 827 Oak Park Blvd.
  
  
• San Luis Obispo: CVS at 1300 Madonna Road, 717 Marsh St., 3960 Broad St. and inside Target at 11990 in San Luis Obispo; Rite-Aid at 1251 Johnson Ave. and 956 Foothill Blvd.
• Santa Maria: Walgreens at 707 North Broadway and 2399 South Broadway

Other testing locations throughout the county

Sara Kassabian

The Tribune

805-781-7849

Sara Kassabian is a former journalist for The Tribune.