DAVENPORT, Iowa — Genesis Health System has a new, safer way to test for COVID-19 -- a drive-thru testing site.
The mobile collection sample site is only available for patients with an order from a Genesis physician. The site is also testing patients for strep and flu. Dr. Kurt Andersen, Genesis Health Group's Physician Leader, says those patients with an order are at the highest risk.
"[The patients have] had a travel history to a high risk area in the last 14 days, and they now have a cough and fever," Dr. Andersen says. "Or, they've been exposed to someone tested positive for COVID-19, and they now have a cough and fever."
Genesis medical staffers are taking these samples from patients straight from their car window.
"[So that way, patients aren't] exposed to anybody else that might be sick," Dr. Andersen says. "Or if they are sick, with whatever they might have, it could just be a cold virus, they're not exposing it to other people in the waiting room."
Swabbed samples are labelled and sent off to LabCorp, a national lab that conducts the tests. Results usually come back within four to five days.
Dr. Andersen expects each day about 10 to 12 patients will get tested for COVID-19 through the drive-thru. He says testing restrictions currently in place will keep the test kit supply from running out, for now.
"We need to make sure we're careful with the number of test kits we have, so that way we're able to test the sickest patients that might arrive in the hospital," Dr. Andersen says.
The mobile collection sample site is at 1520 West 53rd Street in Davenport, and will be open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. seven days a week.
Patients will be asked by medical staffers for identification to confirm their doctor's order to use the testing site.