Mayo Clinic offers pre-screened patients drive-through specimen collection for COVID-19 testing

Mayo Clinic offers pre-screened patients drive-through specimen collection for COVID-19 testing

By
Ginger Plumbo

March 11, 2020

Mayo Clinic specimen collection paperwork

Mayo Clinic is conducting a drive-through process in Rochester to collect COVID-19 specimens for testing. Transmission of the coronavirus is increasing nationwide, and other institutions have successfully used the drive-through approach.

Patients who meet criteria for testing are directed to the location. Mayo Clinic staff collect the specimens, using appropriate precautions, and send them to the Minnesota Department of Health for analysis. This process reduces the need for other critically constrained resources.

Patients are required to have a phone screening first to determine if testing is appropriate. If approved, patients then will be directed to the drive-through location. There is no additional charge for the drive-through service.

Media contact: Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, newsbureau@mayo.edu

We are providing video footage and photos of our drive-through process. To protect patient privacy, we ask news media not to shoot video or photos at the drive-through and to use these images instead.

Broadcast-quality video is in the downloads at the end of the post. "Right-click/save-as" for images below. Please "Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network."

Check the CDC website for additional updates on COVID-19.
For more information and all your COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.