NATIONAL CITY, Calif. (KGTV) -- As businesses start to reopen and services begin to resume in National City, city leaders announced they will be ramping up COVID-19 testing opportunities.
As of Tuesday, the number of positive coronavirus cases in National City sits at 238. City officials want to make sure they are prepared in case a spike in cases occurs.
Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis said her city will continue to follow San Diego County guidelines when it comes to testing. She added National City is looking at expanding the number of testing sites in the city, possibly even providing testing at food distribution events.
At a Tuesday morning news conference, city leaders highlighted the new technology that Paradise Valley Hospital is using called a rapid point of care machine. Right now, the hospital is using it for patients that are showing symptoms of the virus. They can run 48 tests in a 24-hour period per machine.
Paradise Valley Hospital CEO Neerav Jadeja said, “They are able to test them timely, get results timely, and help reduce the use of PPE gear so we can conserve that. There’s been a national crisis with that. It also alerts the staff about the positive patients so we can take care of them timely.”
City leaders are also encouraging residents to reach out to their primary care physician if they want to get tested, and from there, they can be directed where to go.
If you don’t have a doctor or health insurance they want you to call 211 for help.
