Coronavirus Testing Recommended Every 14 Days: Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — With added sectors of the economy reopening and more public gatherings taking place, how often should you get tested to see if you're infected with coronavirus?

Whether you feel sick or not, every 14 days is good rule of thumb if you're coming into contact with people outside your own household, according to Jose Arballo, spokesperson for Riverside University Health System - Public Health.

"The [COVID-19 viral] test is a point-in-time test," he said. "Every two weeks is recommended, but you shouldn't get tested more than every 14 days."

The recommendation follows Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, which state the incubation period for COVID-19 is 14 days, with a median time of four to five days from exposure to symptoms onset, and not everyone feels sick when infected.

But very few residents are getting tested every 14 days. Just 3% of the county's more than 148,000 tests are repeat customers, Arballo said.

Frequent testing could potentially halt thousands of infections — especially virus spread by asymptomatic carriers — but it's not a cure-all.

With all the gatherings and public contact now taking place (church services, protests, eateries, stores, offices, hair salons, etc.), and more coming online as of Friday (bars, gyms, hotels, daycare centers, etc.), the chance for virus spread is increasing and not everyone is taking precautions.

"That's our concern," Arballo said.

The number of COVID-19 cases spiked this week in the county. As of Friday, there were 250 new cases reported, bringing the total to 10,490 cases countywide. The increase follows sharp upticks throughout the week, including the largest single day of new cases on Tuesday, and the second largest day Thursday. Read more: COVID-19 Cases Top 10K In Riverside County, Spike Amid Reopening

“We forecasted sporadic outbreaks through the summer, and those forecasts so far are coming
true,” said Dr. Cameron Kaiser, Riverside County health officer. “It’s time to think about what
the fall will bring, and those initial estimates aren’t good. If we’re not observing social
distancing and facial coverings — two things that helped before and are helping now — we’re going to lose the progress we’ve made.”

Friday's coronavirus numbers also included six newly reported deaths. To date, 383 residents have died from COVID-19 complications. Hospitalizations stand at 238, an increase of six patients.

A prisoner from Chuckawalla Valley State Prison in eastern Riverside County was among the dead Friday. The prison is the site of the California prison system's largest coronavirus outbreak to date. As of Friday morning, 991 inmates at the men's facility were infected with the virus, but just the one prisoner death has been reported. Read more: 991 Inmates Infected, 1 Dead At State Prison In RivCo: COVID-19

To help identify other hotspots across the county, 200 contact tracers have been brought on to help hunt down the virus. Another 100 are sought, according to Arballo.

The county has not yet announced a widespread effort to test for COVID-19 antibodies among residents.

To get free COVID-19 viral testing, click here for more information.