SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — After recently switching vendors, San Bernardino County now has self-test kits for users to administer for COVID-19 monitoring.

Specimen Point of Collection manager Richard Arvizu is adjusting to this new COVID-19 test kit.

“When they’re all done, we’ve had a few even say, ‘Oh it’s not nearly as bad as I thought it was,’” Arvizu said.

Unlike the uncomfortable nasopharyngeal swabs, the new swab doesn’t have to go as deep inside the nostril. Plus — and here is perhaps the biggest game changer — users can administer the test on themselves. Recipients are given the free kit and a nurse watches as they do it.

Public Health Director Corwin Porter says this new test is more expensive for San Bernardino County than others. Porter also say the county saves money overall because the new test cuts down on costly staffing requirements — each person doesn’t need a nurse to administer the test to them.

“The accuracy is good and reliable, and otherwise we wouldn’t have gone with this test," Porter said. "The reliability is very close between the two tests, and so this one is so much faster, so much easier."

Testing with an appointment is now offered at 10 San Bernardino County locations using the nasal self-swab. To schedule an appointment at a county, state or private clinic location, visit sbcovid19.com/testing-sites.

The latest San Bernardino county COVID-19 numbers can be found here.