San Francisco hospital offering drive-through coronavirus testing

A Kaiser Permanente clinician swabs for COVID-19 while a patient sits in the car at one of Kaiser Permanente’s drive-up testing sites in the Bay Area on March 11, 2020. A Kaiser Permanente clinician swabs for COVID-19 while a patient sits in the car at one of Kaiser Permanente’s drive-up testing sites in the Bay Area on March 11, 2020. Photo: Doug Oakley Photo: Doug Oakley Image 1 of / 49 Caption Close San Francisco hospital offering drive-through coronavirus testing 1 / 49 Back to Gallery

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A San Francisco hospital is now offering drive-up COVID-19 testing.

Kaiser Permanente said in a statement that its Geary location is providing the service to limit exposure to the virus in its medical center.

The healthcare provider plans to offer the service in other locations around the Bay Area in coming days.

Tests are provided by appointment only and have to be ordered by a doctor.

After evaluation, patients who meet criteria will be assigned to a specially-equipped testing site where medical staff in protective gear will get necessary swabs for COVID-19, flu, and respiratory virus (RSV) testing while the patient remains in their car.

Patients who meet criteria can drive up to a testing site where medical staff in protective gear will get a swab from the mouth or nose for COVID-19, flu, and respiratory virus (RSV) testing.

Patients can then return home for self-quarantine while awaiting test results.

Kaiser is currently working with county public health departments and commercial laboratories that offer COVID-testing, and hopes to have its own lab test available in coming weeks.

"We are in the process of implementing a lab-developed test for use within the Kaiser Permanente laboratory, but expect that it may take several weeks to provide this testing on an internal basis," Kaiser spokesperson Sophia Patel said in a statement. "In the meantime we will work with commercial laboratories as they begin to offer COVID-testing, to test patients per CDC criteria."

Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com.

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