SOUTH JORDAN, Utah — Three University of Utah Health drive up testing sites are now ready to test for COVID-19.
The three locations are in South Jordan, Farmington, and Sugar House and will be accepting patients soon.
"We consider ourselves a public trust, so getting this set up early and preparing for a surge early," said Michael Bronson, Director of University of Utah Health System Community Clinics. "We really wanted to do this early because we know people are looking to us."
The process would start by an online or over the phone checkup with a healthcare professional to see if the test can be given.
Aaron Hurst, a physician's assistant told us they look for signs of "a fever or signs of respiratory illness and have come into contact with someone who has traveled to an area with widespread coronavirus."
If a patient meets those criteria, they will be told to drive to one of these testing sites.
After checking the patient in and putting on a mask, healthcare employees will direct them to drive into one of the tents.
A healthcare worker wearing personal protective gear will have the patient open the car door and do the swab right there to be sent to the lab.
Healthcare workers also say the test itself is not pleasant, saying it goes up the patient's nose and down the back of the throat.
Ultimately, this process will protect patients at risk for the virus as well as healthcare workers.
"Because we took the proactive approach... less people are exposed... less people are sick, and we save more lives," said Traci Wood, Medical Director for University of Utah Urgent Care.
