Easy Access to COVID Tests & Treatments

“No one should die from COVID when free testing, vaccines and effective medication are all readily available in our community. Preventable COVID deaths in our county are unacceptable,” said Contra Costa Health Director Anna Roth.

The beginning of 2022 saw a dramatic surge in COVID spread, with a huge amount of people home sick from work and school, the highest levels of hospitalization at any point in the pandemic and a tragic number of people succumbing to the disease. As COVID cases waned in the spring, Contra Costa Health refocused the county’s emergency response to the pandemic on eliminating preventable deaths.

“There are stark differences in COVID mortality rates between our wealthiest, healthiest neighborhoods and those with significant challenges to community health,” said Gilbert Salinas, CCH chief equity officer. “This effort helps us to sharpen our focus on our most vulnerable communities.”

CCH increased access to and the use of home tests and oral antiviral treatments for COVID, particularly in communities where infection and death rates are highest.

One groundbreaking approach was opening the Contra Costa Health Plan advice nurse phone line to any county resident who tests positive for COVID, scheduling free telehealth appointments and prescriptions for treatment when medically appropriate. CCH urged other medical providers in the county to ensure that all people who test positive for COVID have timely access to medicine if appropriate for the patient’s health background.