Drive-up coronavirus testing in Shelby County could begin in earnest within the next week, adding to a growing list of screening options.
But if you’re picturing a McDonald’s-like drive-thru where you can get swabbed on demand, that’s not how it works.
“At the beginning this will be by appointment only and it will come from providers who have seen patients who need testing because they have had appropriate exposure or appropriate disease symptoms,” said Dr. Jon McCullers, an associate dean with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He spoke at a press briefing Thursday.
The drive-up would be a semi-permanent service located at the MidSouth Fairgrounds. Staff are currently training at the site.
The university will run tests through commercial labs to start, then transition to using their own kits as supplies become available. This is expected to expedite the testing process. As of now, McCullers said, overwhelmed private labs are taking up to 5 to 6 days to report results.
“We hope that when we have testing available in-house, it’s going to be very large scale...with very rapid turnaround time that’s really going to help our physicians in the community,” he said.
Right now, it’s unclear how many people the site will be able to accommodate, but testing will be free.
It’s important to remember that not just anyone can get tested. Doctors are still largely relying on federal guidelines to determine patient prioritization.
Currently, the Women’s Health Care Associates clinic in Arlington is the only facility offering drive-up testing to anyone willing to pay a fee of $120. Still, the volume of tests remains small and an appointment is required, local media reports.
Christ Community Health Services, an organization that serves the poor and uninsured, will launch its first drive-up testing site in the parking lot of its Third Street location Saturday.
Just like UTHSC’s project, only those who have been previously screened by Christ Community physicians are eligible. They’ll start with 50 testing kits that will be processed by commercial labs.
The chief nursing and quality officer, Shayla Williamson, says the drive-up concept is designed to curb the spread of the virus.
“What we did not want is patients that are symptomatic...to come into the health centers and sit in the waiting room and possibly expose other patients that are there for just routine visits with their providers,” Williamson says.
A still limited supply of testing kits nationwide will likely determine how quickly drive-up services can expand locally. But Dr. Reginique Green of Christ Community says right now they’re doing all they can.
“In this imperfect world, guidelines and compassion for one another seem to work,” she says.