Ventura County home to one of eight public health labs in CA that can test for coronavirus

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. - During a press conference, the California Department of Public Health announced they have expanded their coronavirus testing capacity in California with eight public health labs across the state. One of those labs is located in Ventura County.

"As of today there are now 8 public health labs that are able to conduct testing in California," said Charity Dean, the Assistant Director of the California Department of Public Health. "those include our state lab in Richmond and the following counties: Alameda, Santa Clara, Tulare, Ventura, Los Angeles, County of Orange, and San Diego. And we believe that this increased testing capacity is going to have a significant impact on our ability to quickly identify and contain those individuals with the disease."

Dean later added that it takes 48 hours for the results of one test to come back.

Once a test is found to be positive, the Department of Health said it takes immediate action to protect the public.

There are currently no confirmed or suspected cases of coronavirus in the Ventura or Santa Barbara counties.

Community members can call the Novel Coronavirus Information Line at (805) 681-4373 to hear a recorded message about the status of the outbreak, what to do if you have symptoms, travel to China, and more.

You can also visit the SB County website for more information.