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Updated: Two new COVID-19 cases in Richmond; thousand tested at new site

Only two new cases of COVID-19 have been detected in Richmond since June 23, bringing the total test-positive cases to 92.
Testing site
Those needing COVID-19 testing can go to the drive-through testing site in the parking lot of the Richmond Tennis Club on Gilbert Road.

Only two new cases of COVID-19 have been detected in Richmond since June 23, bringing the total test-positive cases to 92.

This is despite the fact 1,100 people have been tested at testing site located in the parking lot of the Richmond Tennis Club, which opened on June 10.

With about triple the population, Vancouver has had 37 new cases over the same time period while the North Shore has had none.

Data
COVID-19 data is being released by the BC Centre for Disease Control twice a week. - BCCDC illustration

The BC Centre for Disease Control is releasing COVID-19 data by health service areas, of which Richmond is one, twice a week.

Since the opening of a COVID-19 testing site in mid-June in the parking lot of the Richmond Tennis Club, 1,100 people have been tested for the virus.

While the testing site is referred to a “drive-through” site, there is a dedicated lane for those arriving by foot. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday and statutory holidays.

Vancouver Coastal Health reported about 60 people – ranging in age from 12 to 100 - visit the centre every day, either in cars, by bike or by foot with one person arriving in a wheelchair. Only those with symptoms are tested, however.

The testing site opened on June 10 after a previous plan to open a site at Thompson Community Centre was nixed.

According to VCH, 80 per cent of those being tested at the site are Richmond residents, and the most common age groups are those between 20 and 34 and 45 and 64. Twenty per cent are seniors.

There is no need for an appointment to be tested, but there can be a short wait time, according to VCH. The busiest times are at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

As of the end of June, 90 people had tested positive for COVID_19 in Richmond.

The testing site will be in place “as long as there is a need for it,” according to a VCH spokesperson.

The COVID-19 testing site is at 6820 Gilbert Rd.