PONTIAC, Mich. – Two new coronavirus (COVID-19) drive-thru testing sites opened Thursday morning, one in Oakland County and the other in Wayne County.
Right now, the sites are for people with symptoms or healthcare workers and first responders. Officials want to give people answers and collect data to help them make decisions.
The testing in Pontiac was done methodically and by appointment only.
“We talk about the peak -- frankly we haven’t tested enough people to know if we’re at the peak,” Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter said.
The drive-thru testing only takes a few minutes per patient and results come back in 24-48 hours, officials said.
Health experts said before decisions are made to reopen businesses, they need to understand more about the milder symptoms and when it’s safe to send people back out into the public.
If people return too soon, it could lead to a devastating spike in cases and overwhelm the healthcare system, experts said.
The testing in Oakland County was open to any Pontiac resident. Officials said they realized a majority of the community is African-American and at a higher risk.
Before the drive-thru testing site opened, less than 1% of Pontiac residents had been tested, according to officials.
The new Wayne County testing site opened outside of Sam’s Club in Southgate. It also focused on people with symptoms, healthcare workers and first responders. It is appointment only.
To make an appointment at the Pontiac site, call 800-848-5533. To make an appointment in Wayne County, click here.