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Drive-thru testing continues to contribute vital information in pandemic battle

4 min read
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Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter

Wendy Magnes of Allegheny Health Network asks questions as a Canonsburg man prepares to get a COVID-19 test at Allegheny Health Network Canonsburg Hospital’s drive-thru testing center.

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Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter

Sara Paukovics, a registered medical assistant at Allegheny Health Network, prepares to administer a COVID-19 test at Canonsburg Hospital’s drive-thru testing site.

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Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter

Sara Paukovics of Allegheny Health Network prepares a COVID-19 test to be sent to a lab to determine if a patient tested at the Canonsburg Hospital drive-thru testing center is positive for COVID-19.

At 10:30 a.m. on a recent Wednesday, cars began to line up at the COVID-19 drive-thru testing center in the parking lot at Allegheny Health Network Canonsburg Hospital.

Among the first in line were Zachary Southern, 20, and his mother, Candace Kennedy, of Houston.

Southern had been experiencing symptoms for three days, and his Robinson Township employer asked him to get tested for COVID-19. Southern’s mother, who works for ARC Human Services, drove him to the drive-thru site and planned to get tested, too.

“I didn’t feel too bad the first two days, but my symptoms are more severe and I’m feeling more sick today,” said Southern, who complained of a headache, nausea, aches, drowsiness, and fever and chills.

After pulling up in front of a tent, Southern and Kennedy wound down the car window and presented identification and an insurance card to medical assistant Wendy Magnes, who then asked a series of questions.

They drove ahead a few feet, where medical assistant Sara Paukovics, covered in protective gear, including a face shield, greeted them and described the procedure. Southern and Kennedy tilted their heads back and Paukovics took two swabs, one from each nostril.

Paukovics then provided instructions for the pair: go home and self-isolate until results come back, probably in five to seven days.

She then sealed the samples in plastic tubes and placed them in a bag. They will be processed at a lab, and a hospital worker will call Southern and Kennedy with results.

The entire process took about 10 minutes.

“It was easy. It just felt like you jumped in the pool and you didn’t hold your nose and got water up your nose,” said Kennedy. “I’m more worried about my child than me.”

Since mid-May, AHN has been operating drive-thru testing sites throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. Several other drive-thru sites have been set up by Washington Health System, Monongahela Valley Hospital, MedExpress, Centerville Clinics, Cornerstone Care in Waynesburg, and pharmacy chains as the novel coronavirus pandemic continues.

Between July 3 and 9, 128,821 tests were administered statewide, with 4,793 positive results.

Canonsburg Hospital has been completing about 60 tests each day at the drive-thru site, which is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

WHS is administering between 70 and 120 tests per day at its testing sites; Mon Valley Hospital, about 40 to 45 tests per day, and Centerville Clinics, about 90 tests each day at its locations at Uniontown Family Doctors, Washington Family Doctors and the Joseph A. Yablonski Memorial Clinic in Centerville.

Health officials said drive-thru testing contributes crucial information. Testing enables local officials to better understand the scope of the problem and identify areas where cases are increasing, allows health officials to more effectively conduct contact tracing, and may lead to better health outcomes overall.

Barry Niccolai, executive director of Centerville Clinics, said testing is vital to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in the community and to protect people at risk.

Washington Health System said test kits are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain as the demand for testing has increased.

MedExpress said it has a limited amount of daily testing supplies because of the high demand.

WHS and other hospitals said they have a sufficient quantity right now, but as testing increases and the availability of test kits and component materials become more difficult to obtain, it will impact the hospitals’ ability to conduct testing.

“Testing is important for the symptomatic person that has been advised by their physician to have a test to rule out or confirm a diagnosis of COVID-19. This helps us figure out how many cases are present in our area and in what areas it seems to be spreading,” WHS spokesperson Diane Borsch said in a statement. “Following CDC guidelines, a COVID test is not recommended for people that are not symptomatic.”

That includes people returning from vacation who want a test.

Said Rick Rickman, a nurse practitioner at Allegheny Health Network who was working at the Canonsburg drive-thru site, “If you’re asymptomatic and just are curious, please don’t come and get tested. We’re still dealing with the pandemic right now. If someone has concerns, we’ll swab them, but if you’re just curious, now is not the time.”

The drive-thru clinic is convenient, but it also addresses safety. Instead of people having to go inside the hospital, the testing is performed in a more open environment.

Health care workers encourage people to remain diligent during the pandemic.

“Wear a mask, wash your hands, don’t go places unless you have to,” said Paukovics. “Basically, do what (health experts) are telling us.”

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