What makes phone-booth testing effective in the battle against Coronavirus

It is a unique, low-cost and portable unit for collecting samples. It can be mounted on a vehicle and taken to any location

What is phone-booth coronavirus testing?

It is an innovative portable unit for collecting samples from suspected coronavirus-infected persons. The unit looks like a public telephone booth and consists of a small cubicle along with personal protective equipment such as gloves for the health worker and kit for collecting samples. One side of the unit is made of glass with two holes where removable and disposable gloves are fitted from outside, while other three sides are made of aluminium panel board.

How is it useful?

The phone booth will reduce the manpower needed for collecting samples for coronavirus tests, and strictly follows the principle of social distancing. This ensures safety of health workers while collecting samples from suspected patients. Using this, health professionals don't have to change their personal protective equipment (PPE) kit after every sample. The doctors will take sample from inside the glass booth.  It is a unique, low-cost portable unit that can be mounted on a vehicle and taken to any location. This mobile unit will be useful for collecting samples in Covid-19 hotspots and border checkpoints. Each model costs about Rs 15,000-20,000.

How does it function?

A person standing in a queue will be asked to come close to the kiosk and follow the instruction given through a public address system for collection of his or her swab sample. A health worker equipped with personal protective gears stands inside the kisok and collects the sample and then, follows the sanitisation process before taking next sample.

Where has it been used in India?

The West Singhbhum administration in Jharkhand has introduced the device and a sample collection unit has already been set up at Chaibasa Sadar Hospital. A similar initiative has also been taken in Kerala where an indigenously-built COVID WISK (Walk-in Sample Kiosk) was installed at a government hospital. "The Centre has appreciated this innovation and it is hoped that this model will be adopted elsewhere and will go a long way to contain the Covid-19 pandemic" the official said.

COVID-19 test sample collection center also opened at Ghaziabad district hospital in Uttar Pradesh. Chief Medical officer of Ghaziabad Asmita Lal, said, "We have started testing at large scale with 'phone booth' sample collection center.

Who came up with the concept first?

A South Korean hospital introduced phone booth-style coronavirus testing facilities that allow medical staff to examine patients from behind the safety of a plastic panel. The row of four booths, which use negative air pressure to prevent harmful particles from escaping outside -- stand under a tented shelter outside the H Plus Yangji Hospital in Seoul.

The hospital dubs them the "Safe Assessment and Fast Evaluation Technical booths of Yangji hospital" or SAFETY for short. Each patient steps into the box for a rapid consultation by intercom with a medical professional who, if necessary, takes their samples by swabbing their nose and throat using arm-length rubber gloves built into the panel. The whole process takes about seven minutes and the booth is then disinfected and ventilated. The SAFETY booths offer similar accessibility for those who do not drive -- and children -- and by keeping suspected patients outside, avoid the need to disinfect parts of the hospital building.

South Korea dials up testing with hospital 'phone booth'