Mobile tracking centre to Covid-19 opened today in the city of Porto

Mobile tracking centre to Covid-19 opened today and is already performing tests to people that may have contracted the virus
. People should head there only after being signaled by the health authorities.

This is the first pilot model of a "drive-thru" testing centre for CoVid-19, and the first of its type in Portugal. It is equipped to test circa 400 people, in a first phase, with showing results within 24 hours after testing, also in a first stage. These mobile centre has been assembled in less than 72 hours. 

It is exclusively and solely destined to test people that have been signalled by the health authorities, the SNS (NHS); entrance is by car and people are tested while inside their vehicle.

Already other cities in Portugal have showed interest in installing the same type of testing centre, which was triggered by Porto City Hall, Unilabs and ARS-Norte.

Lisbon is set to assembler such type of testing centre, as stated by Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira, who visited the premises, this morning, with the partners who, together with the municipality, have prepared this mobile testing for CoVid-19, namely Unilabs Portugal CEO, Luís Menezes, the clinic director of Unilabs Portugal, António Maia Gonçalves, and Carlos Nunes, president of the Director Council of ARS-Norte.

This was Unilabs Portugal's idea, from the start, as informed the Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira, who set things in motion to help this initiative come to life; as such, the Queimódromo was deemed "the best solution" to accommodate such a large lab, precisely because "it is a quiet place, reserved and with great access".

This morning, 18th March, the lab was already running, with people being tested inside their vehicles.

"Porto City Hall immediately took notice that this was a very important model, which has been implemented with success in other countries", stated Rui Moreira.