A drive-by coronavirus testing center opened in Southeast San Diego today, one of the areas hardest hit by the pandemic in the county. But the limited amount of tests offered still doesn’t meet demand.
The drive-through test site outside of the Euclid Medical Center was open for six hours on Saturday. Each test took ten minutes -- meaning that only 24 people could be tested at the site on Saturday.
The testing was by appointment-only. Those who wanted to be tested had to call 211 to be screened beforehand.
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“Many folks in this community are frontline personnel, they have to work,” said Dr. Rodney Hood, a primary care physician at the Euclid Medical Center, who reached out to the county to set up the testing today. “Many are living in multi-generational environment where there are other folks who might be sick. And they’re getting exposed. This is a high-risk population, and more extensive testing needs to be done.”
Hood says people tried to make appointments, and were qualified to do so through screening, but there weren’t enough time slots available.
Officials from the county say they’re ramping up these types of drive-through sites in the coming days and weeks.
“I think this is an important first step, but I believe that after this, it really has to be on a more regular basis,” Hood said.
