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Drive-thru COVID-19 testing begins at Tiger Lane

UTHSC is leading the effort in partnership with the city of Memphis and Shelby County; tests will be by appointment only

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — UPDATE 3/21/2020 - (UTHSC NEWS RELEASE) - The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, working with the Shelby County Health Department and the City of Memphis, today began drive-thru testing for COVID-19 at Tiger Lane at the Memphis Fairgrounds. 

Testing is being done in a series of tents set up at the Fairgrounds, and it is hopedat other community sites in the coming weeks. Faculty of the UTHSC College of Medicine and other health care professionals have volunteered to staff the tents and perform the testing.  

To qualify for testing, an individual must first be referred by a medical provider to a centralized call center at University Clinical Health, one of UTHSC’s affiliated physician practice partnersto ensure symptoms merit testing.  

Individuals approved for testing will be given an appointment for the drive-thru test site. They will remain in their cars throughout the testing process. Intake will be handled in one tent, where they will provide valid identification and sign informed consent if they want to allow their samples to be used for research purposes as well The testing will be done in another tent. The results will be sent to the health care providers of those tested. 

"Even with several hospitals implementing commercial testing in the region, there is a critical need in our community to test more broadly for COVID-19as a means to understand the scope of the pandemic and to limit the traffic of potentially infected individuals to our emergency rooms, facilitating our ability to care for the sickest patients.” said Scott Strome, MD, executive dean of the UTHSC College of Medicine 

"UTHSC is uniquely positioned to deal with the challenge of providing large-scale testing for our community, with shorter times to confirmation of the tests,” said Jon McCullers, MD, senior associate dean for Clinical Affairs for the College of Medicine. Our partnerships with the city, county, and state make this effort possible." 

As the state’s public academic health care institution, UTHSC has also launched a websiteuthsc.edu/coronavirus, designed to be a one-stop resource for the public, including the best available information about coronavirus, as well as frequently asked questions, and links to national, state, and local organizations monitoring the virus. The site, which is available in Spanish at uthsc.edu/coronavirus-es/, also has an interactive option that allows the public to ask the experts at UTHSC questions about the virus and receive answers. 

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3/19/20 - Thursday, crews from the city of Memphis and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center finalized the Bluff City's first large-scale drive-thru testing for the Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

"We recognized that there was going to be a public health crisis almost two weeks ago," Dr. Scott Strome, the UTHSC Executive Dean of College of Medicine, said.

The testing will happen in and around Tiger Lane, between the Liberty Bowl and Mid-South Coliseum. Crews spent Thursday morning ensuring the entry and exit points will help traffic run smoothly.

"This was recommended to us by our city leaders and it seems like it's a great spot because of access," Dr. Strome said. "This is a massive undertaking. We want to do this in a synchronized fashion so we can really limit exposure and it's going to be synchronized."

Dr. Strome said the testing will be done by appointment only. Those with UTHSC are finalizing the application process, the test criteria, and how to apply for an appointment.

"We do not want in any way someone coming to this site and thinking they will get tested. They will not. That have to have seen a physician, right now a University clinical health physician, so that we can register them."

Dr. Strome added there's also an issue of supply and demand for COVID-19 testing locally.

"We have a limited number of supplies, test kits, etc., but you have to actually walk through the entire process of identifying a patient, registering a patient, making sure that patient shows up, gets tested in a safe manner," Dr. Strome said. "There are supply chain issues in terms of getting all the necessary equipment, and there's also issues on the back end about how to report back to the physician in a timely manner."

We are told first responders will be prioritized first to get a COVID-19 test. UTHSC staff also plans to bulk up their in-house COVID-19 testing in Memphis, so results can come back in 12 to 24 hours compared to as many as 90 hours from other private labs across the country.

"We really want to under promise and over deliver, so a lot of that is going to depend on supply chain, what we can get in terms of testing equipment, etc., the more that comes in, the quicker that comes in, the more we'll be able to do. We are going to be here as long as people need us to be here to help Tennesseans get better."

Dr. Strome is hopeful the drive-thru testing in the heart of the city of Memphis will serve two important purposes.

"It's going to be critical both in our ability to treat patients and our ability to prevent spread," Dr. Strome said.

More details about the drive-thru testing are expected Thursday afternoon. Follow reporter Brad Broders for the latest details. He's on Twitter @Local24Brad.

The office of Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland added: “As we have been doing for the past two weeks, the City of Memphis is taking every precaution necessary to limit the spread of COVID-19 through policy, declaration and direct action. In that same spirit, we are taking action now to get ready for drive-thru testing at Tiger Lane when test kits become more widely available. We are currently working through logistics to make sure once we have tests the process is smooth and efficient. As we have more concrete information, we will share times of operation, traffic flow, and when you can expect to get the test results.”

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Coronavirus in Context: 

The symptoms of coronavirus are similar to the flu or a bad cold. Symptoms include a fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Most healthy people will have mild symptoms. A study of more than 72,000 patients by the Centers for Disease Control in China showed 80-percent of the cases there were mild.

But infections can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death, according to the World Health Organization. Older people with underlying health conditions are most at risk.

The CDC believes symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 14 days after being exposed.

Lower your risk

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces. 
  • If you are 60 or over and have an underlying health condition such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or respiratory illnesses like asthma or COPD, the World Health Organization advises you to try to avoid crowds or places where you might interact with people who are sick.

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