Almost every day since Dec. 27, a UC Berkeley student has been volunteering her time to offer free COVID-19 PCR tests at a pop-up site in Oakland. She says she's responding to an 'unmet need' in her community.
The process, she said, was designed to be contact-free, as those who came to get tested were required to perform their own cheek swab and place the sample into a sterile lab vial themselves. , which processed the samples and directly informed the person of the results via text within 48 hours.
When Mahmoud first launched this effort, coronavirus cases were making a skyrocketing ascent, fueled by the easily transmittable omicron variant. And the demand for testing services were extremely high, as people were concerned about their COVID status following holiday gatherings. At least once, she had to cut short her testing hours, as she ran out of swab kits. And another day, she canceled and used the day to recharge after she said that the manager of the Safeway kicked her off the premises.
"I am merely a volunteer who is electing to do this in my free time, to give back to the community and am given limited resources to do so," Mahmoud said, adding, "This is purely to support the needs of the community during a time where there is unmet need." KTVU reached out to both state and local health agencies asking whether Mahmoud was authorized to run her site in Oakland. noted that testing operations were regulated by the state and federal government. "Local lab operations should ensure they comply with these regulations and any requirements for operating a business. Both the site and the lab you describe in your email are expected to comply with state and federal regulations," county health officials said.