On the first day of a 12-day COVID-19 surge testing campaign, Alfredo Lopez waited in a steady flow of cars at the Maryvale High School testing site for what would be his third COVID-19 test.
Lopez said his employer ordered him to take a test almost two months ago, but the test results went missing due to a problem at the lab. That was when he took a second test.
He tested positive.
Lopez, an immigrant from Guadalajara, Mexico, works for an air conditioner repair company and said his inability to work has taken a toll financially. After his first results went missing and weeks of waiting for his second test results, he was hoping this time would be better.
“I feel fine now. I don’t have a single symptom, but I need to test negative before I can come back to work,” he said in Spanish. “I heard the results here would come back in one or two days, so I decided to try. It’s been a month and three weeks. I need to go back to work.”
Many other participants echoed similar stories: Weeks of waiting for results prevented them from returning to work. Others wanted peace of mind to continue working but didn't want to wait the usual three weeks for results from a lab.
The ZIP codes containing two testing centers, Maryvale High School and South Mountain Park, are home to predominantly Black and Latino residents. Both groups are overrepresented in essential jobs and are three times more likely to contract the virus than their peers, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention given to the New York Times.
About 73% of adults living in Maryvale's 85033 ZIP code are Latino and are far less likely to have a job they can do at home. Only 16.2% of Latinos have a job where they can telework, according to the Economic Policy Institute based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For Black Americans, only 19.7% have jobs they can do from home.
That compares to 30% of the overall U.S. population, according to the institute.
Both South Mountain and Maryvale have limited testing and higher case numbers compared to other areas of Phoenix. The per capita rate in Maryvale's ZIP code is 416 cases per 10,000 and 280 cases per 10,000 in South Mountain's.
“We believe these areas are underserved,” said Fire Captain Rob McDade, who was working at the South Mountain testing site. “We have a hot bed of ZIP codes in this area.”
‘Stay 15 feet back. I can’t get sick’
Pete Aranda, a landscaper, sat in his pristine white pickup at the Maryvale testing site agonizing over the details of obtaining his results. Could he access his results on his phone? What was acceptable proof for his employer that he tested negative?
He needed an email address to register for the test, but the one he used to confirm his spot didn't work when he got to the registration booth. He had to give another one.
“I hope this one works,” he said holding up the paper where he’d written it down. A friend tried to comfort him.
Aranda was trying to get back to work on Monday.
“I did the test at CVS and I still haven’t got the results,” he said. “That’s why I have to do it again.”
When a few people at his company got sick, his boss required everyone to get tested before they could return. Aranda hadn't worked in nearly a week.
“When my boss told me that I was like ‘How am I supposed to do that? I can’t take time off. I need to work and pay my rent,’” he said.
But going to work poses trouble, too. It is not always possible to socially distance in some essential jobs, although Aranda said he tries to keep people away from him. It isn’t always effective.
“They get close to me. They try to hug me. It’s hard to talk to them and explain to them sometimes,” he said. “And it’s like ‘No, stay away from me. Stay 15 feet back. I can’t get sick.’”
Lopez experienced the same problems at his job. He said there's a lack of personal protective equipment and that concerns often are overlooked while he and his coworkers work in close proximity to one another.
The last he heard, a coworker was continuing to come to work despite a bad cough for fear of taking time off.
“I’m very worried,” Lopez said. “It’s dangerous.”
Peace of mind
Some weren’t taking the test just for themselves. A woman in line in Maryvale said she cares for elderly people in their homes.
She isn’t that worried about having the illness, but she knows the risk it poses to her patients. She said she wears plenty of protective gear — masks, goggles and a face shield — but she said it is important for people to get tested and know the status of their health. She was in line to give those she cares for peace of mind.
The scene at Maryvale was a far cry from its initial attempt at surge testing late last month, when people waited 13 hours for tests and some were turned away. McDade said the previous testing efforts discouraged some.
As of Friday morning, 600 people registered for testing that day between the two sites, although many others registered on-site. That compares to about 1,000 people who'd lined up for testing in June.
He hopes residents will take advantage of the opportunity, promising a smoother process this time.
The testing site at Maryvale High School, 3415 N 59th Ave., continues through June 29.
“As long as you get here by 2, you’ll get tested,” McDade said. “We won’t turn anyone away.”
Megan Taros covers south Phoenix. Have a tip? Reach her at MTaros@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @megataros.
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