Corona testing: Vienna now sends bike messengers with gurgling evidence – Coronavirus Vienna

This was announced by Health Councilor Peter Hacker (SPÖ) on Friday. A prerequisite for the fact that medical personnel are no longer needed is a change in the test method in suspected cases of coronavirus. In these cases only gargle tests are used.

Veloce Liefert GmbH won as a partner and has already tested its first operations, as stated. Now implementation takes place. Employees must collect about 1,000 samples a day by bicycle or electric moped. The procedure is basically the same as before. In case of symptoms, you should first contact the health telephone number 1450.

People classified as corona suspects then have a choice. They can drive to a test road or they can wait for home visits. In this case, however, a team with medical equipment will no longer be dispatched to take a throat swab. In her place comes Veloce. The people to be tested can remove the sample themselves, with sufficient distance.

The change to the new procedure will be carried out gradually, he said on Friday. So the previous mode does not disappear completely. If, for special reasons, you cannot gargle, the employees of the blue light organizations will also be on their way to perform a defamation. In principle, however, the gurgling test should become the norm. A precise procedure when taking the sample is intended to ensure safety.

On the one hand, Veloce employees are equipped accordingly. Gloves, mouth and nose protection and goggles are a fixed part of the equipment. The people visited are also instructed on how to proceed. You must also receive the messenger with a mask. In addition, the electronic card must be prepared and the windows must also be opened.

The presented bottle should then be emptied and its contents gargled for up to 60 seconds. The liquid is then transported into a test tube with a straw. The bike messenger takes him away and takes him to the lab.

Since more people are being used at the same time to test, the city expects faster processing. Veloce, whose CEO Paul Brandstätter also participated in today’s press conference, will, according to his own statements, hire around 200 additional cyclists to collect samples. There are currently around 80. The contract was tendered in accordance with public procurement law, noted Health Councilor Peter Hacker. He protested that no one had been inactive in recent weeks.

Hacker said massive efforts have been made recently to speed up processes in general. Not only have two test lines been established, a third location for the 1450 health phone has also been opened and the staff there increased to 451 employees. The health authority would also hire 150 more people to expedite the issuance of notices and information about the findings.

Above all, the gurgling test developed in Vienna makes it possible to increase the number of tests, he said. Because, unlike when taking a smear, no medically trained staff is required. However, a spokesperson emphasized today that it is not possible to request a test courier by calling Veloce. This is only sent by the authority on the road.