ROSWELL, Ga. — With winter setting in, doctors are seeing a growing number cases of illnesses like COVID-19, RSV and the flu. The confluence of these seasonal illnesses can pack doctors offices and fill up urgent care clinics.
That's why thousands of patients are trying a new alternative - a drive-thru clinic.
At one such clinic in Roswell, SmartMed Drive-Thru Medical Care, there have been long lines every day. One doctor at the full-service drive-thru clinic said he recently saw 100 patients in only five hours.
"It is definitely the virus season, people are sick," he told 11Alive. "So we love the drive-thru concept, it's just so convenient. So people are in and out usually within less than 10 minutes. So rather than, you know, sitting in the waiting room for two hours sometimes, they're getting whatever testing or evaluation they need done quickly, and then they're on their way.
Doctors can see a whole family in one visit - without an appointment necessary. The clinic takes health insurance, same as more familiar urgent care clinics.
More than 5,000 patients have already come through the Roswell drive-thru clinic, located at 612 Holcomb Bridge Road.
There are also plans now to expand to East Cobb and Woodstock.
Another drive-thru clinic, operated by Viral Solutions, also opened in Atlanta this year on Howell Mill Road.
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