Mobile vans have tested 15,000 in at-risk communities

UW Medicine was one of the first healthcare teams that mobilized efforts to test King County's vulnerable populations for the novel coronavirus.  The COVID-19 mobile testing program began in the spring and has served more than 15,000 people.

"It’s important to go to areas where we find that there are high positivity rates so that we can identify individuals who are infected with the virus and isolate them quickly," says Dr. Lisa Chew, associate medical director of ambulatory services at Harborview Medical Center.

The van for people experiencing homelessness was made possible by a grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. The vulnerable populations mobile testing program was funded with donations to the UW Medicine Emergency Response Fund.