Drive-through COVID-19 testing at Grays Harbor Community Hospital has picked up the pace in the past few days and has been performing six to 10 tests daily, according to hospital spokesman Chris Majors.

“I think the most we have done in a day is 12,” he said. “We have been doing the tests in a drive-up capacity for a few weeks, but the restrictions were so tight we were only doing one or two a day. Once the testing opened up more we have been regularly doing six to 10 tests a day.”

Grays Harbor Public Health opened its own testing site at another location Wednesday morning. Previously, the hospital had been getting referrals from Public Health, but is now getting referrals from its own respiratory clinics and the nursing triage line at 360-537-5100, said Majors.

If a person is referred for testing, an appointment is made through the nursing triage line for the following day, said Majors. “This includes getting all the pertinent health information,” he said.

Tests are typically scheduled between 10 a.m. and noon so they can be spaced out, as long as the patients show up at the proper time, “so there was never anyone waiting in line,” said Majors.

How the test itself is administered depends on where the test order comes from.

”Depending on where the test order originates determines whether we do a nasal swab or a throat swab,” said Majors. “The Public Health tests are nasopharyngeal (nose) and go to the state lab. Our tests go to the UW and are generally throat swabs.”

Tests taken at the hospital are placed in appropriate transport media and taken by courier to the lab daily. Majors said both the hospital tests sent to the UW lab and the Public Health swabs sent to the state lab have similar turnaround times, currently in the 24 to 48 hours range.

RN Chrissy Boice, one of the hospital’s nursing directors, is the one who typically administers the test, after donning something called PAPR — powered, air-purifying respirator — do protect herself while doing so.

COURTESY GRAYS HARBOR COMMUNITY HOSPITAL Drive through COVID-19 testing has ramped up at Grays Harbor Community Hospital since the list of approved test recipients has grown. RN Chrissy Boice, one of the hospitals nursing directors, typically administers the test, protected by a powered, air-purifying respirator.

COURTESY GRAYS HARBOR COMMUNITY HOSPITAL Grays Harbor Community Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Melanie Brandt, left, and RN Chrissy Boice stand ready to administer drive through COVID-19 tests.