Prisma Health opens coronavirus drive-through testing locations in Columbia, Greenville
The Prisma Health System on Monday opened limited drive-thru coronavirus testing locations in Columbia and Greenville.
Testing is only for patients with electronic orders from a Prisma Health provider or from a Prisma Health virtual visit provider, according to a news release. In Columbia, testing, which is being done by appointment only at this point, also is available to patients sent from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, according to a news release.
Paper orders from physicians will not be accepted, nor will people who just drive up to be tested.
In order to have a test performed for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, patients must have identification and a health care provider order for test.
Prisma said in a news release that it is not able to provide testing to community members without a physician’s order. The hospital system’s news release did say it plans to add more testing sites, but it is still working out logistics.
“We’re starting to crawl before we run,” said Dr. Steve Shelton, the medical director for emergency management at Prisma Health Midlands. “We want to make sure we do it right.”
He added there are limited test kits available and whether a test would be ordered would be based on whether someone is high risk, such as whether they are older, have underlying health issues, or have recently traveled internationally.
Drive-through testing, by appointment in Columbia, is from 9 a.m. to noon, and 1 - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Prisma Health Richland Hospital North Portal, near the emergency department.
In Greenville, drive through testing is from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Greenville Memorial Medical Campus on the lower level of the South Parking Deck.
When patients arrive at the locations, they will remain in their car as a health care worker swabs the inside of the person’s cheek. The hospital system also said patients who are coming for the test should still self-isolate at home until they receive the results.
Prisma said results may take four to seven days to arrive, but patients will be contacted as soon as results are available.
For people who want to determine whether they need a coronavirus test, they could go to Prisma Health’s virtual visit site, https://www.prismahealth.org/Virtual-Visit/. People could use a promo code COVID19 to have a free visit.
DHEC said patients with a fever, cough or difficulty breathing, should first rule out conditions such as the flu or other respiratory illnesses before being tested for coronavirus. However, people with underlying health conditions, or those who were in contact with someone who tested positive or traveled to an affected area, may also need to be tested.
As of Monday, DHEC has announced 33 positive cases for coronavirus in South Carolina, and so far one person in the state has died in the state from COVID-19.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 2:49 PM.
