A weeks-long test kit shortage at the start of the COVID-19 crisis left California health officials in the dark about the disease’s impact?

The test that’s widely available now in Sacramento and other counties is the viral test, which tells someone whether they have an active case of COVID-19.

An antibody test tells people whether they had COVID-19 in the past, but scientists are skeptical about the reliability of those screenings. .

Some counties are telling everyone to get a COVID-19 viral test, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms, recently spent time with an infected person, or work in a high-risk environment. .

Sacramento County Health Officer Dr.

“We are encouraging everyone to get tested; we do have several sites that are available right now,” she said. .

Find a list of available testing sites in Sacramento County, and instructions for making an appointment here.

If you’re experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19, it’s important to call your primary care physician or your county health department to find out how to get tested. .

If you’ve recently spent time with someone who was experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19, even if they haven’t been tested yet, you might consider getting a test.

Depending on where you live, your local public health officials might want you to get a test to help them collect data. .

If you test positive, it gives county health workers the opportunity to do contact tracing and track down people in your life who might also have been exposed. .

In Sacramento County, officials say they have testing capacity that’s not being used right now, and they’re actively expanding the number of available test sites.

That’s the antibody test, which isn’t widely available in most counties.

Before joining CapRadio, Sammy was a health reporter at The Sacramento Bee.  Read Full Bio 

Sacramento County: Everyone Should Get a Coronavirus Test, Symptoms or Not

Sacramento County: Everyone Should Get a Coronavirus Test, Symptoms or Not