Pima County Health Dept. Opening Free Northside COVID Test Center; Vaccine Trials Underway Here

On Wednesday, July 29, the Pima County Health Department will begin offering free saliva testing for COVID-19 at the Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center, 1660 W. Ruthrauff Road. The testing requires pre-registration and is conducted by Arizona State University in partnership with the Arizona Department of Health Services.

PCHD continues to offer free COVID-19 testing via nasal swabs at the Kino Event Center by appointment only.

To register for a test, go to pima.gov/covid19testing, then:

1. Click the link Schedule my test.
2. Click the “Pre-register” button for the Ellie Towne Community Center
3. Use Agency code: FvCmy1fGe
4. Create a username (email address) and password.

Staff located at the Ellie Towne Center will provide assistance for anyone who has trouble registering ahead of time. Other important reminders:

• You must bring a photo ID and the QR code shown in your confirmation email.
• Make sure you are well hydrated at least 30 minutes ahead of your appointment time.
• At 30 minutes prior to your appointment, rinse your mouth with plain water for 20-30 seconds and then spit out the water.
• Please do not eat, drink (even water), smoke, vape, or chew gum for at least 30 minutes prior to your appointment.
• When you arrive at the site, wear a protective face covering – either cloth or surgical mask.
• To cancel or reschedule your appointment, log in to your account at asubioempportal.pointnclick.com

Pima County also plans to offer a third testing site on eastside at Udall Park and a mobile testing site in the coming weeks. Visit pima.gov/covid19testing for details.

Meanwhile, Pima County is one of several regions in the country where a new COVID-19 vaccine is being tested. The National Institutes of Health is conducting phase 3 trials on a vaccine co-developed by Moderna, Inc. and the National Insitute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

“I am hopeful that the phase 3 clinical announced will be an effective way to protect Americans from the wrath of COVID-19, and I am pleased that the National Institutes for Health has selected a diverse location like Pima County as one of the sites for this vaccine trial,” said U.S. Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva in a prepared statement. “Latinos are being hospitalized at four times the rate of white people, and we’ve seen in communities across the country that Black, Latino, and Native individuals are more likely to contract severe cases of COVID-19 and ultimately succumb to it. These vaccine trials are an important step toward ensuring that we can quickly develop a safe, effective vaccine to stop the spread of COVID-19, keep our communities safe, and get back to some semblance of normalcy. It’s essential that diverse individuals are included in the trial so that we can ensure an appropriate response across the board.”

If you’re interested in volunteering, visit www.coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org or ClinicalTrials.gov and search identifier NCT04470427 to find a study center.

This article appears in Jul 23-29, 2020.