YUBA COUNTY, CA (MPG) - COVID-19 testing will be more convenient for Yuba-Sutter residents with the opening of a second no-cost OptumServe site in Wheatland this Thursday.

The testing site will be located at Wheatland Community Center at 101 C Street, and will operate each Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.  Testing will be by appointment only through an online reservation system or toll-free phone number. The location will not test individuals who walk in without an appointment.

While Yuba-Sutter residents already have access to free COVID-19 through one OptumServe site in Yuba City, and doctor-recommended testing through area healthcare facilities (Ampla Health and Peach Tree Health), this newest site will provide ease for residents.

If you have any symptoms related to COVID-19 such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, and/or new loss of taste or smell – even if those symptoms are mild – you should register for free testing at one of the two OptumServe sites.

“Situating a COVID-19 testing site in Wheatland will make it even easier for residents in the surrounding communities, including our Beale Air Force Base neighbors, to get in and get tested,” Yuba-Sutter Health Officer Dr. Phuong Luu said. “As we increase the capacity to test more people in the region, our residents can expect to see the number of COVID-19 cases rise. That will not mean a surge in cases, it will simply mean we are identifying more of the cases that we knew already exist here.”

Individuals interested in being tested need to register online at LHI.care/covidtesting and answer a few simple questions. Residents without Internet service can call the toll-free number (888) 634-1123. More information about OptumServe and other testing sites in Yuba and Sutter counties is available at BePreparedYuba.org and BePreparedSutter.org – click on the “Screening and Testing” button.

There is no cost for the testing, and health insurance is not required. The registration process does ask for those who have health coverage to provide insurance information, but no one will be asked to pay anything out-of-pocket.

OptumServe sites have been stood up across the state in counties where testing numbers have been low in a partnership between the leading health services company and the State of California. The first OptumServe site opened at Veterans Memorial Hall in Yuba City on May 4 and since then has tested hundreds of residents. Since its opening, there have been 18 confirmed cases, with the majority being household contacts of other confirmed cases.

Each OptumServe testing site has the capacity to test up to 132 individuals per testing day and is open to all Yuba-Sutter residents, as well as those from surrounding counties.