The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services has launched a new program to increase and facilitate access to COVID-19 tests for residents unable to obtain appointments.

The program will allow residents to pick up a PCR test kit, perform the test and return the completed kit to designated locations for processing. Residents will be notified of test results within 24 to 48 hours.

The Pick-Up Testing Kit program is the latest in a series of L.A. County efforts to expand testing capacity as demand grows. Recent efforts to expand capacity include increasing the days and hours of operation for existing sites, adding mobile testing units and providing home testing kits, which are intermittent availability via mail as supply allows.

The new Pick-Up Testing Kit program will operate at 13 testing sites across L.A. County. Pick-Up Test Kits will be available without an appointment until daily supplies are exhausted. The Pick-Up Testing Kits will test for both COVID-19 and Influenza (A and B), the same as all L.A. County-operated testing locations.

“We look forward to reducing the waiting time to get tested for individuals unable to book an appointment,” said Paula Siler, director of community mobile testing operations at the L.A. County Department of Health Services. “Once all 13 Pick-Up Testing locations are fully operating and once our home testing kit by mail program is simultaneously relaunched, we will have successfully added over 10,000 additional daily COVID tests available to the residents of L.A. County.”

The new Pick-Up Testing Kits are available to all residents who are experiencing symptoms or believe they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. To preserve limited resources, the kits are not intended for use by those testing as a requirement to return to school, work or participate in other activities. The Pick-Up Testing Kits offer only PCR testing, not rapid testing. Individuals who need to get tested as part of a requirement for work oe school should seek testing via their employer, school district or the entity requiring the testing. To find COVID-19 testing sites, visit covid19.lacounty.gov/testing.