In response to the rise of COVID-19 cases in Brooks, Alta., a drive-thru testing centre has been set up in the city to assess residents — even if they aren’t showing symptoms.
The spike in cases came after JBS, a meatpacking plant in the city, saw an outbreak of more than 300 cases in late April.
The three-day testing centre consists of five bays that cars can drive through and have those inside swabbed for traces of the novel coronavirus.
A similar testing centre was set-up in the city a few weeks ago, and Brooks Mayor Barry Morishita said this second round of testing is just as crucial.
He said April’s testing showed that around 10 per cent of positive cases detected through the tests were asymptomatic, and he believes that helped educate the community on the importance of abiding by public health regulations.
“The community saw how important it was to test once we got those results. So, the second one is even more important in the sense,” he said.
“We were able to educate 3,500 people directly as they went through the line.”
Catherine Chubbs with Alberta Health Services added that these testing centres also allow health officials to better predict virus trends.
“But I think we’re on the right track.”
On Wednesday, hundreds of residents drove through the bays to get tested. Morishita said that even with a decline in cases, he hopes for another round of testing in the weeks to come.
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