Drive-through testing for the new coronavirus will be offered to patients on Cape Cod who have received doctors' orders.
Cape Cod Healthcare announced Monday afternoon that it had partnered with the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment to provide the service to patients who had met a set of criteria.
Qualifying patients must have been screened for COVID-19, received a doctor's order and made an appointment to be tested. On Monday, Cape Cod Healthcare said the screening had to be conducted by a clinical care provider within its system, but Tuesday, officials announced that any patient on Cape Cod and the Islands who had met the criteria would be eligible.
The tests will be conducted at Cape Cod Community College on Iyannough Road in Barnstable, Massachusetts. They are initially being offered seven days a week between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
People without doctors' notes or appointments will be turned away without exception, the health care provider noted.
"These testing capabilities will allow Cape Cod Healthcare to address a critical need to identify and slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community," President and CEO Michael Lauf said in a statement. "This is an unprecedented public health issue and it requires the attention and support of the entire community."
"Barnstable County continues to plan and respond to the COVID-19 emergency on Cape Cod in a coordinated effort with Cape Cod Healthcare and the 15 communities in our region," added Director Sean O'Brien of the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment.
