Malibu Urgent Care Doctor Says He Needs A Tent To Start Testing For Coronavirus

A Malibu doctor says Malibu may need to to set up a medical testing tent … soon.

Doctor Dan Katz … from the Malibu Urgent Care Center … says there is a need for a field testing center of sorts in Malibu..

Katz told the city council today that most people who get the virus should stay home to recuperate.

The doctor says … he still cannot get COVID-19 tests done by Quest Diagnostics.

There are no tests available in Malibu.

But if he and when gets a way to do the tests … he wants to be able to do them in a test somewhere in Malibu.

Here are his comments …made to the Malibu city council Monday:

NEWSCART 75484 KATZ

“As of now we do not have the capacity to care for these people in Malibu.

“Not at the urgent care not by doctors doing house visits.

“People who in the past from other SARS infections have required advanced care will require supplemental oxygen and ventilator care.

“Malibu just doesn’t have the capacity to provide that.

“I think that the only other thing that is dynamic and may change is if the capacity for broader testing to be available in the city.

“And then maybe there is something we can do to tell people whether they have the virus.

“Right now as you know the testing is not available.

“I haven’t even been able to get 10 kits for the clinic.

“I am still arm wrestling with Quest diagnostics.

“There is a new Roche test that is supposed to be available and that could process 10,000 tests a day … and that would be a game changer

“We are waiting to see what that is going to look like and whether or not that is going to be available to us.

“But if that is available to us for testing in the community I suppose having a tent set up for people to come in with all the other necessary equipment such as gloves masks facemasks.

“You need a way to dispose testing kits needed dispose of all the waste for the people coming to the tent maybe a water station where people can wash their hands.

“Obviously it would be necessary to have necessary equipment computers Internet.”

Doctor Dan Katz … speaking before the Malibu city council yesterday.

The council took no action on his recommendation.