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COVID saliva testing available at AWC this weekend
Registration available now - News 11 s Arlette Yousif reports
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Yuma County and Arizona State University partner up once again for a COVID testing event this Saturday, February 27, from 10 am to 2 pm at Arizona Western College s parking lot.
All COVID guidelines will be enforced at the testing site.
Anyone taking the COVID saliva test must not eat or drink anything at least 30 minutes before your appointment, says Yuma County Public Health Services District Director Diana Gomez.
Gomez explains that testing is still critical even if you do not have any symptoms. Saliva testing is less invasive yet just as accurate as nasal testing.
As the number of COVID-19 cases spike, the most pressing issue at Yuma Regional Medical Center isnât space. Itâs staffing. YRMC still has enough beds for patients, but not enough nurses or equipment to staff those beds.
Dr. Robert Trenschel, president and CEO of YRMC, on Monday updated the Yuma County Board of Supervisors on the COVID-19 situation at the hospital.
In an earlier meeting, Chairman Tony Reyes asked the hospital to provide a report on the trigger point for opening additional space for COVID-19 patients. âWhen it gets down to it, we only have one facility that really can handle this. Maybe we ought to start thinking about what happens if that facility is overwhelmed,â Reyes said, noting that YRMC already gets overwhelmed every year by the regular flu season.
As the number of COVID-19 positive cases continues to spike, Yuma Countyâs top health official warned that the situation is putting a strain on the local healthcare system.
âWe are in substantial spread,â said Diana Gomez, director of the countyâs Public Health Services District, in an update to the Board of Supervisors.
On Wednesday, the county reported 298 new cases of COVID-19 and five new deaths, bringing the total cases of confirmed cases to 20,785 and the number of deaths to 415.
On Wednesday morning, 148 county residents were hospitalized at Yuma Regional Medical Center, with 29 patients in ICU and on ventilators. The hospital had 17 ventilators available.