Drive-thru testing continues to evolve

Back in February, COVID-19 super spreading occurred in the city of Daegu.

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Jung Eun-kyeong (Director of Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention): The number of cases is surging among Sincheonji church members.

Mass infections resulted in a surge of coronavirus cases. Medical professionals from across the nation flocked to Daegu to offer their help. But as people had to wait in long lines to get tested, the risk of virus transmission spiked. Minimizing contact between patients and health workers at testing stations emerged as a serious issue. One of the ways to protect medical staff was the introduction of drive-thru testing stations.

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There are places that have dramatically reduced disinfection and testing time.

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Since drive-thru testing stations first opened, many local governments have introduced them.

This ingenuous idea was inspired by McDonald’s drive-thru counters. And it turned out to be a huge success. From reception to specimen collection -- it only takes ten minutes to get tested at a drive-thru testing station.

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Kim Jin-yong (Doctor, Incheon Medical Center): Disinfecting our facility after testing each patient with suspected symptoms was the biggest problem. It took at least 30 minutes to empty and ventilate the space. It was very time consuming. So we came up with this idea.

Drive-thru testing is highly lauded for its cost-effectiveness.

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Lee Jae-jun (Goyang Mayor): Some 20 administrative and health officials are needed daily. The Korean Medical Association and large hospitals are helping us by dispatching their doctors.

The United States, where a state of emergency was declared due to COVID-19, wanted to learn how to conduct drive-thru tests from Korea. And many other countries like France rushed to benchmark Korea’s drive-thru testing. The global media praised Korean drive-thru testing stations as a revolutionary idea. COVID-19 testing services keep evolving further. This hospital has introduced an unusual method to test patients. Instead of driving, patients walk through the station. A wall installed between patients and health workers helps prevent direct contact.

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Kim Bitna (Nurse): Because of the gloves installed in the middle we don’t need to touch patients. It’s safe for us and for the patients.

At conventional testing stations, health workers experienced severe fatigue, as they had to collect patients’ specimens through direct contact with them. To prevent that, walk-thru stations were introduced. As a result, medical workers can test patients by having minimum contact with them.

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When wearing protective suits, it takes longer to test patients. It’s also hard to breathe and we get tired easily. At walk-thru testing stations we can test patients quickly and more efficiently.

At a walk-thru station, visitors fill out a questionnaire at a kiosk installed at the entrance, or on their mobile phones. They then walk through the station to undergo a checkup, have their specimen collected, and pay for the test.

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We will collect specimens from your nose and mouth. Open your mouth.

During the entire process, there is zero contact between patients and health workers, and zero risk of virus transmission. It only takes about 15 minutes to collect patients’ specimens and disinfect the station.

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You must self-quarantine until your results come back negative.

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Kim Sang-il (Hospital Director): Before walk-thru stations were introduced, we could collect specimens from only 8 or 9 people a day. Many patients had to wait to get tested. It was dangerous, as they might have infected others while waiting. At walk-thru stations 150-200 people can get tested safely.

Medical workers can conduct tests more efficiently, while patients can get tested in a safe environment without worrying about secondary infections.

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Pick up your medicine and see the doctor.

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As a patient, I find this to be much safer. I can get tested without worrying.

Even bedridden patients with limited mobility can be tested for COVID-19 at separate stations without having direct contact with others. Walk-thru services continue to improve. Disinfecting negative pressure booths used to be risky for station workers. But thanks to an automated disinfection system, they can disinfect and ventilate the booths without entering them.

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Kim Sang-il (Hospital Director): When there is a sudden surge in patients, swift testing is crucial for slowing the spread. Testing stations that can test patients efficiently can help mitigate community spread.

Non-contact testing has become the key word of Korean quarantine. Gwangsan-gu District in the city of Gwangju is home to the first automated testing station in Korea. Inside the container, the room for patients is thoroughly separated from the room for medical workers to prevent the virus from traveling through the air. From temperature checks to payment — everything is done automatically. The collected specimens are transported by an automated machine. Innovative technologies for non-contact diagnosis, the biggest advantage of drive-thru and walk-thru testing, are also being developed one by one.

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Seo Jun-ho (Ph.D., Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials): Respiratory diseases such as the coronavirus are highly infectious. Patients’ saliva droplets may spread around during testing, causing secondary infections. We developed a robot that enables health workers to collect specimens without coming into contact with patients.

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Insert it in here, deeper.

This remote control robotic system can collect specimens from patients’ upper airway using a single-use alcohol cotton stick. Medical workers can perform the procedure remotely on a computer.

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The stick comes out with ink on it. The robot inserts the stick through a nostril all the way to the nasopharynx to collect a specimen. Then it exits the nasal area.

The robot can also move up and down and sideways as well as rotate to insert the testing stick precisely where it’s needed. This remotely controlled robot can be used to test patients in other areas as well.

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Seo Jun-ho (Ph.D., Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials): We were developing a robot that could test patients remotely without having them visit medical centers. When the COVID-19 outbreak began, health workers were at risk of catching the virus when testing patients. I thought I could use my previous research projects to develop a robot that could be used to collect specimens.

This non-contact specimen collecting robot has drawn the spotlight as a safe testing device in the era of COVID-19. The researchers are currently looking for ways to lower its manufacturing cost so that it can be utilized for various medical purposes.

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Seo Jun-ho (Ph.D., Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials): We are preparing for electrical safety tests and clinical trials required for medical equipment. We plan to complete them quickly so that our device can be used to test patients for COVID-19.

Drive-thru services are increasingly becoming a part of people’s daily lives. Preparations are underway to open a marketplace.

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Lee Seon-jong (Farmer): At this market, farmers from 140 farms nationwide sell their produce directly to consumers.

Launched in 2009, this is the largest direct-selling market in Korea. It opens twice a week.

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Kim Yong-sook (Farmer): This place used to be literally packed with customers. But since the coronavirus outbreak we’ve been unable to sell our products for months now.

The market was temporarily closed back in February due to strict social distancing measures. It re-opened three months ago.

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Lee Heon-kyu (Staff from market operating company): Many farmers plowed their fields because they couldn’t sell their produce at the time. As farmers had no other choice but to discard their crops, we set up drive-thru markets to help consumers and farmers.

Thanks to this drive-thru market, farmers don’t need to worry anymore about how to sell their produce during the prolonged pandemic.

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Erysimum from Ulleungdo is very delicious.

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This is a three-year-old medicinal herb from Odaesan, Gangwon-do Province.

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Take a look.

What do customers think about the drive-thru market?

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Jeon Hye-ran (Consumer): I bought rice, chestnuts, fried chicken, and a pumpkin. It’s hard to do this in-person because of the pandemic. It’s good to be able to see products firsthand from my car without worrying about catching an infection.

Some local governments have introduced drive-thru libraries so the public can borrow books safely.

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Hello. I would like to borrow some books. Thank you.

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Kim Na-min (Professor, Kyonggi University): I’m sure there will be more such services in the future. The retail sector needs them and is preparing to launch them.

The culture and art sector is also adopting the drive-thru method to keep in touch with spectators. A special sculpture exhibition is underway at a natural recreational forest in Yangju, Gyeonggi-do Province.

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Lee Ki-jong (Spectator): We came here because we can appreciate art works in a safe environment and just have a good time.

It’s a drive-thru exhibition. Visitors can appreciate some 130 sculptures from the comfort of their cars.

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Yeon Soo-bin (Exhibition staff): It used to be a walk-thru exhibition where visitors could appreciate sculptures while strolling. But we decided to switch to drive-thru as people shun having contact with others.

Drive-thru exhibitions are helping the public to enjoy culture again, and the art sector to survive in difficult times.

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As many art fairs were canceled recently, artists had few opportunities to showcase their works and were gradually losing ground. They presented many of their art pieces for this drive-thru exhibition.

Although there are few visitors now, drive-thru exhibitions are gradually gaining popularity through word of mouth.

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It’s like a toy. Very cute.

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Kim Areum (Spectator): It’s good to see art works in a natural setting. The idea of appreciating more than a hundred art pieces safely from your car is really extraordinary. It makes me feel good.

After enjoying art, visitors can also park their cars in designated areas to enjoy the natural scenery.

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Lee Ki-jong (Spectator): Korea is handling the situation in a very stable manner. I hope this aspect of Korean culture, such as quarantine methods and drive-thru exhibitions, will spread around the world.

Drive-thru services are profoundly changing people’s everyday life. Drive-thru concerts have emerged as a safe option to enjoy culture in the era of COVID-19.

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It’s even more fun to chat with your loved ones and enjoy food together while watching a concert.

Korea’s drive-thru services, highly lauded around the world, are evolving further, becoming a new normal.