West Marin’s community organizations are working to fill gaps in Covid testing as the emergence of the Omicron variant highlights the need to keep a close eye on local cases and outbreaks. Last week, a new twice-weekly test site opened in the San Geronimo Valley, and West Marin Community Services hopes to expand similar services to Tomales and Bolinas soon. 

“It’s a critical tool to understanding the spread in a community, to know what the virus is doing,” said Seamus Tomkins, a project coordinator at West Marin Community Services who helped organize the valley testing site. “For a while, it was really hard to get those take-home tests, and folks have to drive over the hill. It’s really nice having those services available here, to get tested quicker.” 

The S.G.V.C.C. will now offer rapid antigen testing, with additional P.C.R. testing for those who test positive, at the former golf course clubhouse by appointment two days a week, on Tuesdays from 3 to 5 p.m. and on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon. The site complements an existing Monday and Wednesday testing site at W.M.C.S. in Point Reyes Station, which also operates by appointment from 3 to 5 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, though Mr. Tomkins said they do not turn away walk-ins. 

New testing sites are in the works for Tomales and Bolinas, waiting for state and county approval. The site in Tomales will likely be part of the Thursday food pantry at the town hall and will offer take-home tests. 

Funding for the sites comes from county grants, and the California Department of Public Health provides the test kits and training. Last week, the first United States case of the Omicron variant, which early data suggests could be twice as contagious as Delta, was detected in San Francisco. 

In a briefing last week, Marin County public health officer Matt Willis reiterated the importance of testing for those who show symptoms. “We’re working with our clinicians in Marin to make sure samples are tested for variants, to detect Omicron if and when it surfaces here,” he said. 

Despite uncertainties about the capability of Omicron to evade immunity, Dr. Willis stressed that the existing vaccines remain the “singlemost effective tool” for fighting the virus. 

In the weeks since pediatric vaccines became available and the booster was recommended to all adults, demand has often exceeded availability of the vaccine in Marin, where the overwhelming majority of eligible residents are vaccinated. 

At a vaccination clinic last week at West Marin School, many locals who tried to get appointments were frustrated when the online booking service was not functioning for the clinic, and those who came for walk-ins were turned away. Meanwhile, many slots were filled by residents from over the hill. The clinic had been planned to take place at the Coastal Health Alliance but was shifted due to staffing issues, and no more appointments were made available. 

Mr. Tomkins said he was disappointed in the way the event was communicated. He is working with staff from the Dance Palace to set up a regular vaccination clinic there in the coming weeks that would offer a high proportion of walk-in appointments. With the lack of reliable cell service and universal high-speed internet in West Marin, not everyone can make online appointments. 

“You need to build in more walk-in appointments, because otherwise you’re going to miss out on a certain segment of the population,” Mr. Tomkins said.