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Lathrop offers vaccination & testing clinic
COVID vaccine
Turlock Fire Department began receiving their first round of the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday (Photo courtesy of TFD).

As COVID tests become scarcer – with pharmacies across the country out of stock of at-home tests and public testing sites boasting multiple-hour waits – the City of Lathrop is once again teaming up with San Joaquin County Clinics to bring testing and vaccination to the community.

On the second and fourth Tuesday of every month the Lathrop Generations Center will host the combined testing and vaccination clinic from 1 to 4:40 p.m.

The community service will be provided through March 31 and will be open to the public – no appointments are needed, and no insurance is required to receive a vaccine, a booster, or a COVID test.

As the United States smashes one-day infection records thanks to the omicron variant, local public health agencies have been working hard to try and boost the availability of both vaccines and tests to help break the links in the infection chain.

While San Joaquin County did not participate in the program, both Sacramento and Stanislaus Counties were handing out free at-home COVID tests at libraries to those that needed them. The program was so popular that many facilities ran out on the first day that they were offered.

The rush for testing has also prompted scammers to try and capitalize – prompting the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office to issue a consumer alert warning the public about purchasing what may be fraudulent COVID tests from unverified online forums.

The DA’s office encourages anybody that is currently searching for a test to make sure that the any that they find for sale are authorized by the FDA )a list of FDA authorized antigen tests are available at the agency’s website) and encourages the use of a credit card in case the item purchased turns out to be bogus – giving the consumer the chance to call up and dispute the charges.

The next testing and vaccination clinic in Lathrop will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 11, from 1 to 4:40 p.m. in the outdoor amphitheater at the Lathrop Generations Center – located at 450 Spartan Way. Other scheduled dates include Jan. 25, Feb. 8, Feb. 22, March 8, and March 22.

For more information, contact San Joaquin County Clinics at 209.468.7302.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.