In Utah and around the world, the coronavirus pandemic shows no signs of abating as new cases have soared to ever higher heights in the past few weeks. Worldwide, new cases peaked most recently on January 10 when, in a single day, 680,908 new cases were reported, a new all-time high, according to The New York Times coronavirus tracker.

In Utah, cases rose to their all-time record high on January 13, when 5,188 new cases were reported in a single day. Since then, numbers have begun to wane, but with over a thousand new cases still reported every day, it's safe to say the virus isn't going away any time soon.

With the high number of cases, the turnaround time for COVID test results is crucial to ensuring appropriate quarantine protocols are put into place and contact tracing can swiftly identify people who have been potentially exposed to infection.

A better solution

In a turn of events, COVID Clinic, which operates drive-thru testing locations in five other western states, is expanding its presence to include testing sites in Utah. Salt Lake City is currently open with Layton and a number of other sites scheduled to open in February. All sites will offer COVID-19 testing with results returned via email within 60 minutes. The testing locations will be open seven days a week and offer drive-thru, appointment-only testing. Appointments can be booked at covidclinic.org with same-day appointments often available.

How it works

When you sign up for your testing slot, you will choose which test you want to purchase and how many people you want to have tested. Group vouchers are available for pre-purchase upon request.

When you arrive at your testing site, stay in your car and follow posted signs or verbal instructions and remain in your car for the duration of your wait and your test. You do not need to remain on-site to receive the results of your 60-minute rapid response test.

Available tests at COVID Clinic locations include rapid antigen tests, antibody tests, molecular NAAT tests, RT-PCR COVID-19 tests and combination antigen and flu tests which test for both an active COVID infection and influenza A and B infections.

The latter test is recommended for patients experiencing symptoms and is available at select locations only. All tests are administered as nasal swabs—the most common being the shorter nasal swab.

Many destinations now require negative COVID tests in order to travel. You and your family can get one of two preferred travel tests within 60 minutes to two hours. So instead of planning a test and calculating down to the minute when you'll receive results, you could even get your tests on the way to the airport!

Be sure to check the travel requirements of your destination to determine whether COVID Clinic is an accepted testing partner for that location. At the time of this writing, COVID Clinic is not an accepted partner for travel to Hawaii but interested travelers can email Lt. Gov. Green to request COVID Clinic be added to the list.

Approved for emergency use by the FDA

All antigen and antibody tests utilized by COVID Clinic have received emergency use authorization from the FDA and are performed by CLIA certified labs. Antigen tests detect current COVID-19 infections in people with or without symptoms (but who have been exposed to someone who tested positive). Antibody tests are available for those who don't currently feel sick but who want to verify whether they have previously been infected and recovered from COVID-19.

Patients may be able to receive reimbursement from their health insurance company for all or part of their COVID-19 test. Check with your insurance company before you go to find out whether you're eligible to receive reimbursement for your COVID-19 test and how to apply.

Visit covidclinic.org to find your closest testing location and reserve your appointment today.

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