Governor Gavin Newsom will deploy elements of the National Guard to assist in Covid-19 testing.
Foto:
Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
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The California Governor Gavin Newsom noted Friday that activated the state National Guard to help expand Covid-19 testing capacity, amid an increase in cases driven by the Omicron variant.
The guards will help with the highest demand for testing California has experienced in the past month, forcing hours to be extended at the 6,000 state-operated testing facilities, authorities said.
Newsom’s office said that 200 soldiers will be deployed to 50 sites around the state, to help fill gaps in staffing needs.
This will allow sites to increase their walk-in dosing capacity and help with crowd control, the governor said.
Currently, 90 percent of Californians live within a 30-minute drive of a site, where most have been able to obtain PCR test results within 48 hours.
More guards will be deployed next week to assist in similar capabilities, Newsom’s office said.
“California has led the nation’s fight against Covid-19 by implementing the nation’s first public health measures that have helped save tens of thousands of lives,” Newsom said in a statement.
“We continue to support communities in their response to COVID by strengthening testing capacity.”
California has distributed 9.6 million tests to schools since early December, according to the governor’s office.
The state has administered more than 122.7 million tests to date, as well as nearly 67 million doses of vaccination.
Read more
* Another 44,000 new cases of coronavirus are reported in Los Angeles County, where there is a shortage of healthcare workers
* California extends facial mask mandate until February 15 due to the explosion of COVID-19 cases
* COVID-19: Hundreds of Bay Area Students Tested Positive Before Back to School
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