BOISE, Idaho — Saturday's snowstorm in the Treasure Valley provided a clear reminder that Winter is on its way. With Winter on the horizon, outdoor COVID-19 testing sites at clinics and hospitals across the Treasure Valley will be forced indoors. However, that raises new concerns about how testing sites will stay safe when possible COVID-19 patients and doctors and staff are forced indoors.
Dr. David Peterman is the CEO of Primary Health Medical Group and explained to KTVB on Saturday that COVID-19 testing this Winter faces a couple of issues.
"One is the weather and one is the normal respiratory illnesses, influenza that occurs at this time, and we have to come up with a plan to manage that to keep the patients safe and to keep our staff safe," he said.
Primary Health is moving coronavirus testing indoors and has already opened two indoor testing clinics.
"We have figured out how to test patients indoors and to do it safely and not spread the disease," he said.
Dr. Peterman added that his clinics have separated hallways and rooms and patients must wear a mask and go through screening before entering.
Saint Alphonsus is planning on opening an indoor testing site on Monday and is preparing for an even larger volume of testings, according to Medical Director Dr. Daniel Bridger.
"With kids back in school, and much more of our daily lives being spent indoors, I think testing and keeping an eye out for symptoms and being tested when appropriate is even more important now than it's ever been," he said.
Both doctors agree that people are encouraged to get tested and are confident that they can handle any increases to their testing volumes. However, Dr. Peterman is concerned about medical staff.
"The limiting factor is coronavirus is spreading in the community and unfortunately our staff, they're in the community, that's the limiting factor," he said.
Dr. Peterman added that if community spread continues at its current rate, "our staff, and our doctors will also get coronavirus or the will have symptoms, and then we have to take them out."
St. Luke's is planning on opening their indoor testing sites by the end of November or the start of December, according to an official. Their sites will also have similar precautions in place.
