Sioux City Times

Drive-thru coronavirus testing sites have opened up in Sioux City and officials expect to be able to test 60 patients a day. 

Medical officials from the Siouxland Community Health Center will be testing individuals in a drive-thru testing zone, where patients will remain in their cars, the Sioux City Journal reported. 

At the testing sites, the medical professionals will be wearing protective gowns, gloves, masks and face shields while collecting nasal swabs for patients. 

"They'll switch out gloves and the necessary equipment that they need to, but it doesn't need a full changeover," Kevin Grieme, Siouxland District Health Department director, said to the Sioux City Journal. "That's why they have a safety person there on hand. If it would cause a cough, sneeze or something that they think puts anyone at risk, then they do a changeout."

But individuals can’t just show up to be tested, the Sioux City Journal reported. 

Grieme said if an individual doesn’t have an appointment, they will be turned away. In order to be tested, a person must have their primary physician assess their symptoms first. Then the physician has to issue a testing order for the patient. 

After the testing order is issued, patients will receive a text or phone call telling them when to report to the testing area.

"Once they report to the site, they're validated whether they're on the appointment schedule, because they've all been individually notified. If they're on the appointment schedule, they'll be allowed into the queue," Grieme told the Sioux City Journal. "They're to be sitting next to the door of the vehicle. We're not going to reach across any individuals. They will just be staying in their car and they actually just drive through there."

Once a patient is swabbed, it can take between four to six days to receive results. By then, several patients who had the virus could potentially be better. 

"In all reality, one of the things we recognize is, depending on the condition of the patient, many of them will get well, potentially, before the results come in," Grieme told the Sioux City Journal.