Most public health experts continue to insist that there’s no way of knowing how many Americans are infected by the novel coronavirus without extensive testing, which has been easier said than done given the limited number of manufacturers that make testing equipment and a still-unreliable supply chain, especially for chemical reagents.
The total number of public health labs that have completed verification and offer testing was 97, as of April 25, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of April 21, the website goodrx.com listed 670 drive-through testing sites nationwide, including 19 at Walgreens drug stores in 11 states. Walmart’s goal is to support up to 50 testing sites across the country. Apple recently added coronavirus testing locations to its Maps app for iPhone, according to the website CNET. As of the afternoon of April 26, CNN reported that, since January, health experts identified 963,168 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States, and 54,614 virus-related deaths, based on estimates from Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
To bolster this testing effort, PCL Construction was part of an multidisciplinry team that developed mobile testing facilities that can screen employees and customers for COVID-19. These Citizen Care Pods, as they're called, are designed to serve end users such as manufacturing factories, office towers, and retail stores, according to the Minneapolis-based website Finance & Commerce, which reported on the prototype.
PCL, which is based in Edmonton, Alberta, has 31 offices in North America and modular manufacturing facilities in Bakersfield, Calif., Lake Charles, La., Houston, and Toronto.
Portable Virus Testing Centers help battle coronavirus
The Citizen Care Pods allow health professionals to conduct tests at a safe distance from the business establishment. For example, in Minnesota the mobile testing center is a 160-sf retrofitted prefab structure with ceiling heights that range from 8 feet to 9.6 feet. The testing center are available in two design options—walk-ups and drive-throughs—and can also be fitted out with security cameras, sensors, and digital communications equipment.
The Daily Journal of Commerce reports that PCL’s testing centers were developed from prefabricated Conex units, similar to ocean shipping containers. The walk-up boxes have up to four stations inside that separate healthcare workers from people being tested. There are two windows on each side of the box, and two collapsible canopies that double as shelter when people are being tested and as protection with the box is shipped.
Modules have one swing door at the end for workers to enter and exit. Inside, there is a hand wash station, biohazard waste bin, metal shelving/cabinets, counters, a water cooler, electrical panel, a computer rack/communications panel and space for an optional battery. Hand sanitizer dispensers are found outside each window.
ALSO SEE: COVID-19 and real estate: How the coronavirus is impacting the AEC industry
Drive-thru units are similar to the walk-up units, except there is only one window on each side.
The development team for this concept was led by Citizen Care Pods Corporation, WZMH Architects, and PCL Construction. The team collaborated with LIfeLabs, Microsoft, and Insight Enterprises to bring this concept to completion in less than a month. Microsoft is investigating whether artificial intelligence could be deployed to eliminate the human element from the testing centers.
Ben Reinhardsen, who manages PCL’s special projects division, told the Journal that an order could be turned around and installed within three weeks.
The rollout reportedly will include a half-size option. As of this week, the team is finalizing details and pricing for an official launch of the pods.
Related Stories
Sponsored | BD+C University Course | Jan 17, 2024
Waterproofing deep foundations for new construction
This continuing education course, by Walter P Moore's Amos Chan, P.E., BECxP, CxA+BE, covers design considerations for below-grade waterproofing for new construction, the types of below-grade systems available, and specific concerns associated with waterproofing deep foundations.
Healthcare Facilities | Jan 16, 2024
A new mental health center in Miami offers alternatives to incarceration
The seven-story building has 208 beds.
Giants 400 | Jan 15, 2024
Top 90 Hospital Facility Construction Firms for 2023
Turner Construction, Brasfield & Gorrie, JE Dunn Construction, McCarthy Holdings, and STO Building Group top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest hospital facility general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Jan 15, 2024
Top 80 Hospital Facility Engineering Firms for 2023
Jacobs, WSP, BR+A, IMEG, and AECOM head BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest hospital facility engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Jan 15, 2024
Top 130 Hospital Facility Architecture Firms for 2023
HKS, HDR, Stantec, CannonDesign, and Page Southerland Page top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest hospital facility architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Healthcare Facilities | Jan 7, 2024
Two new projects could be economic catalysts for a central New Jersey city
A Cancer Center and Innovation district are under construction and expected to start opening in 2025 in New Brunswick.
Designers | Jan 3, 2024
Designing better built environments for a neurodiverse world
For most of human history, design has mostly considered “typical users” who are fully able-bodied without clinical or emotional disabilities. The problem with this approach is that it offers a limited perspective on how space can positively or negatively influence someone based on their physical, mental, and sensory abilities.
Healthcare Facilities | Dec 19, 2023
A new hospital in Duluth, Minn., is now the region’s largest healthcare facility
In Duluth, Minn., the new St. Mary’s Medical Center, designed by EwingCole, is now the largest healthcare facility in the region. The hospital consolidates Essentia Health’s healthcare services under one roof. At about 1 million sf spanning two city blocks, St. Mary’s overlooks Lake Superior, providing views on almost every floor of the world’s largest freshwater lake.
Healthcare Facilities | Dec 7, 2023
New $650 million Baptist Health Care complex opens in Pensacola
Baptist Health Care’s new $650 million healthcare complex opened recently in Pensacola, Fla. Featuring a 10-story, 268-bed hospital, the project “represents the single-largest investment in the healthcare history of northwest Florida,” said Gresham Smith project executive Robert “Skip” Yauger, AIA, LEED AP. The 602,000 sf Baptist Hospital is equipped with a Level II trauma center that provides 61 exam rooms and three triage areas.
Engineers | Nov 27, 2023
Kimley-Horn eliminates the guesswork of electric vehicle charger site selection
Private businesses and governments can now choose their new electric vehicle (EV) charger locations with data-driven precision. Kimley-Horn, the national engineering, planning, and design consulting firm, today launched TREDLite EV, a cloud-based tool that helps organizations develop and optimize their EV charger deployment strategies based on the organization’s unique priorities.