To increase the country's capacity to test and track suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, Israel launched drive-through testing centers in key cities, including Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Be'er Sheva, and Haifa. This article examines the challenges that the national emergency medical services and volunteers faced in the process of implementing drive-through testing centers to offer lessons learned and direction to health-care professionals in other countries.

The United States Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) led to creation of the Paycheck Protection Program, as well as an expansion of reimbursements for telemedicine. CARES Act drafters over emphasized maintaining employment and overlooked negative downstream effects the policies had on outpatient clinics. The misalignment between this financial aid package and public health policy is most apparent in the pressure administrators face to maintain clinic operations, without a transition plan to adopt telemedicine and associated best practices. If this continues, the result will be suboptimal clinical practices and an increased risk of COVID-19 infection to both staff and patients. Particularly in times of crisis, financial aid packages should not be evaluated in isolation; policymakers should consider their implications for public health while designing, enacting, and implementing such measures.

There is an increased need for mass testing in the setting of an emerging infectious disease pandemic to foster informed policymaking and improve public health outcomes. Drive-through testing centers have been employed with great success in South Korea and Israel. In highlighting the differences and examining the downstream implications of their logistical and operational strategies, this paper provides valuable insight on areas of improvement that can increase the capacity and efficiency of testing with drive-through testing centers.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, drive-through testing centers have proven more effective in expanding testing capacity than traditional clinic models. If this infrastructure is repurposed and expanded for a large-scale vaccination campaign, it can facilitate throughput, reduce resource use, and overcome barriers associated with vaccine adoption and distribution.