Waterbury Hospital opens drive-through coronavirus testing

#Middlebury #COVID19

In order to increase testing volume for patients suspected of having Coronavirus, Waterbury Hospital opened the state’s second Department of Public Health approved drive through Coronavirus Sampling Station for patients. Colleagues there worked very hard to get this station up and running by early Friday afternoon, March 13. The sampling station will be open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Here is how it works for patients:

• A doctor’s order is required for sampling.
• Patients get swabbed right in their car and samples are sent outside for testing to a private lab.
• Patients go home to await results.
• Results are available within 3 to 5 days and all patients are asked to self-quarantine while awaiting results.

“This station will increase the number of people that are tested in the state resulting in higher diagnoses and preventive measures that will keep the disease from spreading. I couldn’t be prouder of my colleagues here, at different levels of the organization, who worked in record time to set up this sampling station,” said Dr. Justin Lundbye, Chief Medical Officer of Waterbury Hospital.

Waterbury Hospital has been preparing for an influx of patients infected with the virus. Patients who have no symptoms or mild symptoms are encouraged to use the drive through sampling station instead of the emergency department and to come to the emergency department if they have symptoms that require hospitalization.

For more information about Coronavirus, hospital preparedness and visitor restrictions, please visit: www.waterburyhospital.org/coronavirus.