Hundreds flock to get free COVID-19 tests at Mexican Consulate in Sacramento
Maria del Carmen Ortega, who is from Jalisco, Mexico, used to work cleaning schools.
She was laid off shortly after the state dismissed classroom instruction in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making her one of the first employees to feel the virus’ unemployment toll.
“Now, they want us to get back to work to clean the schools deeply so that when the kids return to school, the classrooms are disinfected,” she said in Spanish. But, before she can get back to cleaning, she wanted to make sure she was “clean” of the virus herself.
She visited a free mobile clinic, conducting COVID-19 tests, stationed in front of the Mexican Consulate in Sacramento on Thursday morning after learning about it through a family friend. Because she has limited medical coverage, it was the most viable option for the Rancho Cordova resident.
Del Carmen Ortega is now among the 948 patients who has been tested for the coronavirus at the mobile testing site, which launched on June 8 through a partnership with Elica Health Centers. She will know her results in 3 to 5 days.
During the mobile testing site’s first week, Elica Health Centers medical assistant supervisor, Jesus Narez Ramirez, saw between 15 to 20 patients a day. In the last two weeks, he said the numbers have climbed to 100 to 150 patients a day.
“It is a pretty high number,” said Narez Ramirez. “It’s been going up for sure.”
Thursday was no different.
An hour after the testing site opened, dozens of people wearing masks and socially distancing stood in a long line that wrapped around the building.
While the Mexican Consulate hopes to reach more Latino communities, everyone is welcome regardless of their immigration status or whether they have health insurance, according to Consul General Liliana Ferrer.
“We want to contribute to the great effort to give easy access to medical services and tests to the community’s most vulnerable,” Ferrer said.
She hopes the community’s trust with the Mexican Consulate attracts more people to get tested for the virus, who might otherwise be fearful or anxious of going to traditional hospitals.
Latinos in California and the Sacramento region are facing higher coronavirus infection rates. In California, Latinos currently make up 56.6% of the state’s COVID-19 cases and 41% of COVID-19 deaths, according to the state health department. In Sacramento County, Hispanics account for 30% of cases and 7.9% of deaths, the county’s health department data shows.
Aside from Sacramento County’s health department, Ferrer said a patient’s information is confidential and not shared with other government agencies. She emphasized that COVID-19 tests are not considered a “public charge” rule.
“Early detection,” Ferrer insisted, “Saves lives.”
Sheeva Shafaq, Elica Health Centers COVID-19 testing lead and medical assistant, believes the increase in testing is due to more patients worrying about the virus’ community spread as businesses reopen.
“The people are more worried about the situation,” she said. “They want to get tested to be safe.”
As he waited to take his test, Alejandro Valdez Morales, 39, who lived in Guerrero, Mexico before moving to Sacramento, said he was experiencing a fever and bone aches and told his boss. Valdez Morales, who works delivering construction materials, was asked to get tested before returning to work. Uninsured, he visited a different clinic who couldn’t test him. Then he learned of the mobile clinic.
Appointments are not required and patients are seen on a first-come, first-serve basis from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or until tests run out for the day. The tests themselves take less than 10 seconds to be administered.
“We do run out of the tests every day, because (of) the high volume of patients that come through,” Narez Ramirez said.
Those who test positive for the virus will be referred to other clinics or health centers depending on their situation, Ferrer said.
No appointment is needed to get tested. An official identification card is required, as well as filling out paperwork at the testing site.
The mobile COVID-19 testing is supposed to last until the end of June, but depending on demand, there is a possibility it could remain open through July, according to Narez Ramirez.
“We are serving anyone and everyone who is uninsured or low income or they don’t have any other resources to go to other testing centers,” Shafaq said. She noted that there are translators on site who can help patients, as well as medical forms translated into different languages.
For questions regarding the mobile testing site, you can reach the Mexican Consulate at: 916-329-3500. Si tiene preguntas sobre pruebas de COVID-19, puede comunicarse con el Consulado de México al: 916-329-3500.
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 4:51 PM with the headline "Hundreds flock to get free COVID-19 tests at Mexican Consulate in Sacramento."