Coronavirus drive-thru testing for medical personnel, first responders coming to El Paso

Mar. 18--Drive-thru coronavirus testing for El Paso first responders and medical personnel is possibly coming as soon as this week, the head of the local emergency management office said.

"We are working to set it up locally," Deputy Fire Chief Jorge Rodriguez, head of the El Paso Office of Emergency Management, said Wednesday morning during a telephone town hall hosted by U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso.

The first phase of drive-thru testing will be for public safety and medical personnel since they are on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rodriguez said. Details are being developed.

"We are hoping to have the first responders and medical (personnel) this week," Rodriguez said. It was unknown when drive-thru testing could be available to the public.

The availability of coronavirus testing was one of the most frequent questions in the telephone town hall.

People who are ill -- including a fever -- should ask their doctor to test for the flu or other illness first, Rodriguez advised. The doctor will decide if further testing for the coronavirus is necessary.

Coronavirus testing is currently limited to people who have traveled abroad or to a domestic hot zone, such as New York or California, officials said.

Health officials remind residents that it also is allergy season, so not every respiratory problem is coronavirus.

There have been three confirmed coronavirus cases in El Paso and one case in Juárez.

"We truly don't know what the numbers (of infected people) are because there are not enough tests," said Escobar, adding it was the federal government's biggest failure.

During the town hall, a woman, who is unemployed and has no health insurance, called to say that she had a cough for seven days and was worried for her 95-year-old mother.

Escobar told her and others that University Medical Center of El Paso neighborhood clinics and Centro San Vicente family health centers can help patients without insurance.

Uninsured residents who have symptoms should first call to set up an appointment at a UMC neighborhood clinic or a Centro San Vicente family health center, Escobar said.

Health officials say people who think they might have COVID-19 should call health care providers before showing up at offices in order to allow them to prepare for the visit and help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Daniel Borunda may be reached at 915-546-6102; dborunda@elpasotimes.com; @BorundaDaniel on Twitter.

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