The latest step to treat and stop the spread of the Coronavirus has been the opening of drive-thru COVID-19 testing stations. In the past week 8 states which include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Minnesota, New York, Texas, and Washington have initiated drive up testing sites in the cities hardest hit by the Coronavirus. These sites are typically manned with healthcare professionals and/or often assisted by the National Guard. The testing stations are currently only providing tests for individuals who have been pre-screened, deemed priority, and have a scheduled appointment in order to receive a free Coronavirus test. Test patients are asked to self quarantine until their test results are known and further guidance is given.
Because of the ongoing shortage of the availability of tests, the capacity of the testing is limited to what the CDC is considering “priority” testing. The exact criteria for priority testing status at this time is not “completely” transparent and may vary slightly from state to state, but in general is said to be limited to certain healthcare workers, first responders (police, fire/rescue etc.) operators of critical infrastructure, and “high risk” persons such as; those presenting specific Coronavirus symptoms who are suspected likely to have the Coronavirus, or those who experienced direct exposure to an infected person.
Unfortunately there are only a few of these testing stations in each of the hotspot states experiencing the highest infection rates of this pandemic. It is expected that the number of facilities providing testing in this manner will continue to expand.
Curbside Testing Is Not Available In Most States Yet – But It Is Expected To Be Soon
Because of the ongoing shortage of the availability of tests, the capacity of the testing is limited to what the CDC is considering “priority” testing. The exact criteria for priority testing status at this time is not “completely” transparent and may vary slightly from state to state, but in general is said to be limited to certain healthcare workers, first responders (police, fire/rescue etc.) operators of critical infrastructure, and “high risk” persons such as; those presenting specific Coronavirus symptoms who are suspected likely to have the Coronavirus, or those who experienced direct exposure to an infected person.
Unfortunately there are only a few of these testing stations in each of the hotspot states experiencing the highest infection rates of this pandemic. It is expected that the number of facilities providing testing in this manner will continue to expand.
This week in a news conference, President Trump said, We’ve been in discussions with pharmacies and retailers to make drive through tests available in the critical locations identified by public-health officials. He further stated, “The goal is for individuals to be able to drive up and be swabbed without having to leave your car.” It is very likely that many urgent care providers may begin to participate in this exact same manner.Initially Robert Redfield, director of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told a House committee that the CDC was not planning to initiate drive through testing sites because, “We’re trying to maintain the relationship between individuals and their healthcare providers.” But as the Coronavirus has spread rapidly across the U.S. President Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force and the president himself have said that the drive-through testing would likely be expanding across the country in the coming weeks, and that his administration was in talks with the private sector as well such as; Walmart and Target, and CVS and Walgreens to begin offering testing stations. Of course, as we have already reported, Urgent Care Centers have already begun to join the fight, it is simply not as widespread yet, as to meet the needs of the incredible demand from concerned consumers. As of yet there is a limited number of Urgent Care Centers that are currently able to operate walk-up and drive-through testing sites, but depending on the availability of testing supplies the urgent care industry expects their testing sites to expand as well. You can contact us here within this site if you have questions, as well as register for updates on when drive-thru testing is available in your area. In addition to that, UrgentCare.com is also helping individuals find access to Covid screening and telemedicine services that can address individuals concerns regarding the virus. This includes coordinating access to actual covid testing as well as for counseling for those who are experiencing anxiety and other negative effects from fear of Covid19. In the interim, we can’t express enough the seriousness of the Covid19 virus and how it is critical important for everyone to act responsibly, wash and sanitize your hands frequently, obey the stay at home orders or guidelines for your area, and for everyone’s sake including your own maintain social distancing practices. Let’s all do our part to stop this deadly virus in its tracks.
