Why go to the clinic to get a COVID-19 test when you can go through a drive-thru?
Early last week, Google sister company Verily launched a coronavirus screening service and website called Project Baseline for those living in Santa Clara County and San Mateo County, California. Now, the company is outlining a new drive-thru testing service for the same regions plus Riverside and Sacramento counties, as those behind the project believe that "increasing access to testing is a really important part of helping to stop the spread of COVID-19."
There are three main steps that one will need to take to get tested for the virus. First, an individual needs to use an online screener, like Project Baseline's site, which will determine the likelihood of them having contracted the virus based on factors like symptoms, age, and area of residence.
If eligible for testing, an individual will then be given an appointment. An appointment reference number will be assigned to each person.
Finally, the last step is to get tested at the drive-thru testing center. Individuals will have to show official forms of identification and their appointment reference number in order to proceed to the sample collection portion of the drive-through. A nasal swab will be taken and then sent to a lab for analysis. Results will be given to patients in about two to four days depending on how busy the lab is.
As of right now, access to this testing is extremely limited -- only residents from four counties in California can benefit from it. The company did admit to having plans to expand more through the state, but whether or not they intend to expand to the rest of the country is currently unknown.
