Although more than 30 coronavirus testing sites are available throughout the county, Carson officials Thursday will officially demand that the county establish one in that city, claiming it has one of the highest per-capita rates of COVID-19 in the area.
Carson Mayor Albert Robles and the entire city council are scheduled to take part in a mid-morning news conference at Carson City Hall to make the demand.
According to a statement from the city, Carson has “one of the highest numbers of positive tests of all 88 cities in L.A. County and among the highest rates on a per-capita basis.” The statement notes that the city’s roughly 100,000 residents are roughly 23% black and 40% Latinx, “the populations that are being infected and dying at higher rates.”
Figures released Wednesday by the county Department of Public Health show there have been 133 confirmed cases in Carson, for a rate of 141.72 cases per 100,000 residents. That rate is on the higher end of other municipalities and geographic regions in the area.
There was no immediate response to a request for comment from the county about the possibility of establishing a testing site in Carson. There are more than 30 such sites scattered around the county, with new ones opening every week. Three new sites opened Wednesday in Bellflower, Inglewood and El Monte.