North Coast Testing Partnership
Frequently Asked Questions

Free COVID-19 Testing for all residents of Humboldt and Del Norte counties

Who can get tested?
• All residents of Humboldt and Del Norte counties can make an appointment for a test, with no referral.
• Minors must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
• U.S. citizenship or legal residency is not required.

I don’t feel sick. May I still come in for testing?
• Yes, people with no symptoms or with mild can get tested at this site. However, we discourage persons with serious or distressing symptoms from utilizing this service, as these sites are not medical care sites. Persons in distress in any way should contact your primary provider, a clinic, or emergency department.

Can I get tested if I don’t have insurance?
• Yes, the testing is free.

If I have insurance, Medi-Cal or Medicare, will they be billed?
• Testing is free, insurance is not billed. We do not intend to bill insurance at this time. Should that become necessary in the future, you should not have any copay or other charges. COVID-19 testing is free throughout California.

What should I expect at my appointment?
• Bring your Unique ID number that you receive during registration online.
• Bring a form of identification with a date of birth to help speed up the check-in process at your appointment.
• Children should be with a parent or guardian.
• Everyone will be expected to maintain physical/social distancing and wear a facial covering at the testing site. Testing collection will be done outdoors whenever possible. If you drive to your appointment in most instances you will not need to leave your vehicle. A mask will be made available if you don’t have one.
• You will be asked to collect your own specimen by putting a swab in your nose. If your child is unable to collect themselves, you, as a parent, will need to collect the specimen for them.

How will I get my results?
• If your test is positive, you will be contacted directly by public health staff from your county of residence. If not already isolating, you should immediately isolate by staying at home. More information on isolation can be found here:
• If your test is negative,
o You will be notified by email and your results will be available in the portal where you registered.
o If you don’t have e-mail, the results will be mailed to you.
• If your test is inconclusive or invalid, you will be contacted to retest.
• All testing results are confidential.

How long should I wait to re-test if I got a negative result? Should I re-test?
• If you test negative for COVID-19, you probably were not infected at the time your sample was collected. False negatives occur infrequently, so you may still wish to exercise caution if you have symptoms, or you know you were in close contact with a confirmed contact in the past 14 days.http://www.cdc.gov/conronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/isolation.html
• If you experience symptoms in the future you should get retested if recommended by your doctor.
• If you have been exposed to COVID, stay isolated or quarantined and contact your doctor or public health for further instruction.
• In general, you should not get tested for at least three or five days after exposure. Talk with your doctor or public health for instruction.

How will you use the information I provide?
• Some of the personal information we collect is needed so we can communicate with you, and so you can schedule an appointment and view test results. We will not share any information that is protected by HIPAA. We may collect additional demographic information, which will be used to help study the virus across segments of the population.

What social or physical distancing measures are in place at the testing sites?
• We set up our testing sites so that patients are able to follow CDC social distancing guidelines at all times. These guidelines are enforced by our on-location staff.

For more information:
• Toll Free 1-833-610-2600