HORSHAM residents will be able to get tested for coronavirus without leaving their cars from Saturday.
A spokesman for the Wimmera Health Care Group said a drive-through testing clinic would begin on Arnott Street from 9am Saturday.
"It will be open until 5pm daily," he said.
"Anyone that is booked in the clinic for tomorrow that is still the same system, they will come in and do their booking. From Saturday morning it's the drive through only, so anyone who has previously made a booking will have to drive through with everyone else: Their booking won't stand.
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The spokesman said the value of a drive through service over an assessment clinic was the number of people that could be tested in a day.
"If we're going two at a time, at an estimate we could test up to 400 people in a day," he said.
The healthcare group has previously told the Mail-Times the most tests it has gotten through in one day with its existing clinic was 58 on Tuesday.
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"Because of the surge that has happened recently - one we are expecting to increase - in people wanting to get tested, we just need to get them through a lot quicker," the spokesman said.
"The Australian Defence Force is going to come and help us, six personnel altogether. They are already trained to do this and they will be providing the same service they have been providing at the drive-throughs at Bendigo and Ballarat.
"The reason we got this is because (chief executive) Catherine Morley, after the St Brigid's College positive test. She realised there was going to be a need to ramp up our services for the clinic and got onto the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services saying this was needed."
The spokesman said the clinic would be a 10 by 15 metre marquee in a carpark off Arnott Street, and motorists would leave by Read Street.
"Our testers will not have to change PPE for different testing. We are only testing symptomatic people but no matter how mild your symptoms as soon as you have them, come to the drive through station."
For people without a vehicle, further testing sites can be found at these locations:
- Horsham Respiratory Clinic, 148 Baillie Street Horsham, Monday to Friday 3 - 5pm, www.hotdoc.com.au
- Stawell Regional Health, Monday to Friday 8.30am - 5pm. 5358 8630
- East Grampians Health Service, Girdlestone Street Ararat, Monday to Sunday 1.30 - 3pm, 5352 9321
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