COVID-19 drive-through testing shut down early at the Church of the Highlands on Friday morning due to weather concerns.

“We can’t test in the rain so we are closing down early,” said Associate Pastor Layne Schranz.

The total number of tests administered hit 298 Friday and surpassed 2,000 for the week on the fourth day of testing. The highest daily total was 798 on Thursday, up from 630 on Wednesday and 347 on Tuesday.

The drive-through testing can’t be done in the rain because it requires an extensive electronic setup with laptops and other equipment arranged outdoors under tents. Gathering information from patients and entering it into computers is one of the most time-consuming aspects of the drive-through testing.

By 11:30 a.m., medical workers had administered the last test of the day and the weather-sensitive equipment and supplies in the outdoor clinic had been put away.

At 11:36 a.m., a doctor who works at a hospital in Columbus, Miss., wearing a protective face mask, pulled onto the church campus. “He needs testing as soon as possible,” said his wife, a nurse, who was in the passenger seat. They asked that their names not be used.

They were asked to return the next morning when testing resumes. They said they planned to stay overnight in Birmingham and be on site when the campus opens again at 6:30 a.m. Saturday.

Testing starts about 9 a.m. Saturday, which will be the last day of testing at the church, Schranz said.

Testing will discontinue after Saturday at the church site. The church will refer people to the new UAB testing site that opens Monday.

The Jefferson County Department of Health and University of Alabama at Birmingham have partnered to open a drive-through testing site next week for COVID-19.

Tents and cones have been set up at the corner of University Avenue and 22nd Street South, on a lot that used to house offices for Southern Research.

Patients will need to call for an appointment prior to arriving at the site. Only those with symptoms such as fever and shortness of breath will be eligible for testing.

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