TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei opened a drive-through clinic for likely COVID-19 cases on Wednesday (May 4) that allows for expedited testing, diagnosis, and treatment.

Located in the Beitou Shilin Technology Park, the makeshift clinic provides PCR screening for those who have tested positive using a rapid test. In order to minimize contact with others, those who visit the clinic by motorcycle or car do not need to leave their vehicle if they have symptoms.

The service is intended to help relieve the burden of hospitals, whose capacity will be reserved for patients with moderate or severe symptoms, according to the city government.

The clinic is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Sunday and can perform up to 1,200 PCR tests a day. Individuals are advised to make an appointment in advance and bring their self-administered specimen with them.

The capital's daily capacity for PCR testing is 4,000, and this is expected to increase to 8,000 as major medical institutes pool their resources. Taipei is also mulling requisitioning labs that can process 30,000 tests per day, but the lack of manpower is an issue and the city may have to recruit ENT doctors to assist in this, Storm Media quoted Deputy Mayor Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊) as saying.