The Beauty of Drive Thru Testing

By Dr. J. Ester Davis

Have you been tested yet for the COVID-19?  So, then when are you going?  If you have been, what did you think about the process? I thought it was well worth the trip.

I can vividly remember (circa 1958)being in line at Booker T. Washington School Gymnasium, the all African American School, in South Texas,  for the polio vaccine.  It was rendered in the form of a sugar cube after much trial, cribbing, death and error.  And. . . it come to past.

To date, Monday, May 11, 2020, there have been 6,123 cases reported in Dallas County.  On this same date, 253 new cases were added to the list.  I got in line at Ellis Davis Field House Monday about 11:00 AM.  I had an informed  90 year old neighbor with me.  The route at Ellis Davis Field House, DeSoto, Texas, was ideal for the number of vehicles, southern sector residents, the ever constant construction and visible security.   The navigation was well planned. (Thank you Dallas County.) While in line, I could  count  the number of cars, but not the number of people per vehicle.  So my time in line was about an hour and fifteen minutes.  There are three stops. Three white tents.  As you get closer to Stop Number One, there are more signs to read which is extremely helpful. All signage is in English and Spanish. That first stop is for proper identification and collection of information.  You will leave this site with a white piece of paper.  On the ‘Informed Consent: “You have agreed by coming to this test site, to participate in testing designed to identify whether you have been infected by the novel coronavirus and have developed COVID-10, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.  Your participation in this process is voluntary.”  The test involves a nasal swab that you administer personally.  It was so easy. You have to love technology!

You leave Stop Number One with a consent form.  Just drive slowly and be aglow about bringing this too to past. The first responders at these test sites are quite efficient.  Stop Number Two is more interactive, a few questions and verifying the correct information.  Nothing more than name, telephone number.  Your Driver’s License or some form of identification will be asked for.  At Stop Number Two we were asked to view the video and tune in to 88.3 on the Radio. You can see the staff working with precision-in -excellence. This entire process is less than 60 seconds.  If you place your Radio on 88.3, there is a taped repeated instruction message about how to swab your nose when you get to Stop Number Three.  The message is simple.  The message is clear.  The value is priceless and mess-free.

Stop Number Three is the final step in the testing process.  You follow the cones, drive to the third white tent.  Your information is verified again. Here you receive a wrapped “cotton swab”.  I called it a ‘one-legged’ QTip, because only one side is cotton. You place it in the left-side of your nose . . .then the right.  The attendance outside your window is your clock, counting-your-fifteen-seconds on his gloved hand, because each circling swab should take 15-seconds.  You place the one. .. “one-legged” QTip in the secure tube.  It is closed in front of you, your smile . . . and you are free to go.

Way to go Dallas.

Esterdavis2000@gmail.com