Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Apr 20;35(15):e154.
doi: 10.3346/jkms.2020.35.e154.

Walk-Through Screening Center for COVID-19: an Accessible and Efficient Screening System in a Pandemic Situation

Sang Il Kim #  1 , Ji Yong Lee #  2
Affiliations

Walk-Through Screening Center for COVID-19: an Accessible and Efficient Screening System in a Pandemic Situation

Sang Il Kim et al. J Korean Med Sci. .

Abstract

With the ongoing novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the number of individuals that need to be tested for COVID-19 has been rapidly increasing. A walk-through (WT) screening center using negative pressure booths that is inspired by the biosafety cabinet has been designed and implemented in Korea for easy screening of COVID-19 and for safe and efficient consultation for patients with fever or respiratory symptoms. Here, we present the overall concept, advantages, and limitations of the COVID-19 WT screening center. The WT center increases patient access to the screening clinics and adequately protects healthcare personnel while reducing the consumption of personal protective equipment. It can also increase the number of people tested by 9-10 fold. However, there is a risk of cross-infection at each stage of screening treatment, including the booths, and adverse reactions with disinfection of the booths. These limitations can be overcome using mobile technology and increasing the number of booths to reduce congestion inside the center, reducing booth volume for sufficient and rapid ventilation, and using an effective, harmless, and certified environmental disinfectant. A WT center can be implemented in other institutions and countries and modified depending on local needs to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; Pandemic; SARS-CoV-2; Screening; Walk-through.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Schematic blueprint of Safe Assessment and Fast Evaluation Technical booth of the H Plus Yangji Hospital.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Picture of Safe Assessment and Fast Evaluation Technical booth of the H Plus Yangji Hospital. The height of the glove hole in all booths is different.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. Flowchart of a walk-through screening center.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. World Health Organization. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report – 56. [Updated 2020]. [Accessed March 16, 2020]. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/2....
    1. Kwon KT, Ko JH, Shin H, Sung M, Kim JY. Drive-through screening center for COVID-19: a safe and efficient screening system against massive community outbreak. J Korean Med Sci. 2020;35(11):e123. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Korea Statistics. Population census. [Updated 2020]. [Accessed April 2, 2020]. http://kosis.kr/statisticsList/statisticsListIndex.do?menuId=M_01_01&vwc....
    1. Jensen PA, Lambert LA, Iademarco MF, Ridzon R, CDC Guidelines for preventing the transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in health-care settings, 2005. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2005;54(RR-17):1–141. - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Interim infection prevention and control recommendations for patients with suspected or confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in healthcare settings. [Updated 2020]. [Accessed March 23, 2020]. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/infection-control/control-reco....