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Medical personnel take a sample from a person at a drive-thru Coronavirus COVID-19 testing station at a Kaiser Permanente facility on March 12, 2020 in San Francisco, California.
- Three new drive-thru test sites will roll out in San Francisco next week to increase testing capacity for the coronavirus disease.
- Including the four mobile sites that are already in place, there will be seven such sites in the city.
- The news comes as the number of confirmed cases in San Francisco has reached 279.
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San Francisco is rolling out three new drive-thru sites for the testing of the coronavirus disease, known as COVID-19.
According to a press release from the office of Mayor London Breed, the test sites will be open to members of the general public who have a doctor's note. The test sites will be opened next week in the city's Chinatown and Outer Sunset districts, as well as one near Oracle Park in the South Beach neighborhood.
There are already four such mobile test sites in the city.
There also will be prioritized testing for first responders, health care workers, and at-risk residents - all they need to do is contact their primary care doctor to be screened for COVID-19 symptoms before being tested.
"The prioritization of COVID-19 testing for frontline workers, along with people who are most vulnerable, will help us make sure our health care system can continue serving the public and taking care of people who need help," Breed said in the press release.
The addition of the test sites comes as the number of confirmed cases in San Francisco hits 279, with three reported deaths.
According to the press release, the city's Department of Public Health Laboratory has tripled its testing capacity this week. The lab can now run 150 tests a day, up from 50, by automating certain parts of the process.
"We expect to see higher numbers of positive cases with the increased capability of COVID-19 testing," Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax said in the press release. "I want to be clear that not everyone needs to get tested. There are still national shortages of testing material, which means we need to prioritize our tests to those on the frontline, and for those most vulnerable and at-risk from the virus."
He also said that getting tested is not the most effective way to stop the spread of the virus - staying home is the most effective.
The San Francisco Bay Area is at the tail end of week two of the three-week shelter-in-place order. The directive is expected to end on April 7, though that could be extended.
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