Dr. Viktor Limanskiy administers the COVID-19 vaccine at the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless in Stockton, Calif., in April 2021. (Photo courtesy Joan Singson, Director of Population Health Management at San Joaquin General Hospital)

Three COVID-19 testing sites in San Joaquin County will allow eligible patients who test positive for the virus to receive same-day medication and treatment through a new program launched by the county’s Public Health Services last week.

The “Test to Treat” program has been made available at OptumServe testing sites located in French Camp, Lodi, and Tracy with free testing and treatment offered.

The testing sites will have two oral antiviral pills, Paxlovid and Molnupiravir, that are effective against the omicron variant of COVID-19 and all of its subvariants, according to county health officials.

Paxlovid can be prescribed to people 12 years and older while Molnupiravir is only accessible to adults who have mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms and are at high risk for progressing to severe disease.

Victoria Franco is a reporter based in Stockton covering San Joaquin County for Bay City News Foundation and its nonprofit news site Local News Matters. She is a Report for America corps member.

Victoria Franco is a Stockton-based reporter covering the diverse news around the Central Valley as part of the Report for America program. As a Stockton native, Franco is proud to cover stories within her community and report a variety of coverage. She is a San Jose State University alumna with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism. In her collegiate years she was Managing Editor for the Spartan Daily. From her time at the Spartan Daily she helped lead her staff to California College Media Awards and a General Excellence first place. Victoria encourages readers to email her story tips and ideas at victoria.franco@baycitynews.com.