The person conducting the test remains inside the room and test subjects walk pass the booth for testing. (image: Nam-gu Public Health Center)
BUSAN, April 1 (Korea Bizwire) — In order to shorten the time spent collecting samples for COVID-19 testing, rapid walk-through booths are entering use.
The Nam-gu Public Health Center in the southeastern port city of Busan and the manufacturer of an airtight box, Korea Kiyon Co., said Tuesday that they had developed and are testing a rapid walk-through booth.
The booth is made by inversing the already existing walk-through booth testing system.
For existing walk-through booths, the person receiving the inspection enters the booth and the person conducting the inspection collects samples outside the booth.
However, existing booths have a major shortcoming – it takes at least 25 minutes to perform the next examination, as the inside of the booth must be disinfected every time the subjects enter and leave the booth.
However, when the rapid walk-through booth is utilized, the person conducting the test remains inside the room and test subjects walk pass the booth for testing.
Since the booths no longer need to be disinfected between tests, the total test time is reduced to roughly 15 minutes per person.
When suspected patients are confirmed on a large scale due to a mass outbreak, the new test booths are expected to be effective in rapidly collecting a large number of samples by installing them outdoors, where there is less risk of infection among subjects.
“When a mass outbreak requires quick testing, it will be a system that can be installed and used in a place where two meters of space between patients waiting in line can be secured,” said Huh Mok, head of the health center.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
