Long lineups for COVID-19 tests make comeback

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/12/2021 (1059 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeggers waited in their idling vehicles for hours outside COVID-19 testing sites Tuesday as the province reported 302 new cases and a jump in the test positivity rate.

David Kendrick said he waited almost five hours for his test at the drive-thru site at 125 King Edward St. East Tuesday morning.

“I started waiting in line at 9:15 a.m. and got my test at 1:55 p.m.,” he said.

“When I called the booking number first thing in the morning, they said there were no appointments available today and advised I visit the drive-thru testing site.”

Kendrick said he took a sick day from work to get tested after experiencing cold symptoms, including a cough and sore throat.

“I was caught off (guard) by the long line,” he said. “I was expecting to have more time at home resting today.”

The City of Winnipeg tweeted about significant traffic delays near testing sites on Nairn Avenue and King Edward Street and advised people to avoid the areas.

Kendrick said the lineup at the King Edward site backed up traffic up to Ellice Avenue and was a source of frustration among those waiting.

“People were cutting in line and a few people got out of their vehicles to confront others,” he said. “It’s a frustrating situation to be in when you are waiting so long.”

Lisa Andersen was also stuck waiting in the King Edward site queue.

“I didn’t expect the wait, but it definitely makes sense given the recent rise in cases,” she said.

Manitoba reported 2,316 active cases and a test positivity rate of 8.6 per cent on Tuesday amid concern about the highly infectious Omicron variant.

The lineup at the 1284 Main St. testing site snaked throughout the neighbourhood and caused traffic havoc at the busy Main Street and Mountain Avenue intersection.

Andersen and Kendrick both called for more test centres around the city to prevent lineups and reduce wait times.

“If the wait time at a test site is longer than four hours, more tests should be available to the public,” Kendrick said. “This situation will only get worse as we’re seeing in other provinces.”

There are currently nine testing sites listed on the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority website. Three of those are drive-thru sites, which might be more popular as the temperature drops.

The Winnipeg Free Press contacted the province to ask if more test centres would be added, but did not receive a response.

Kendrick said he believes the cold weather causes more people to visit the drive-thru sites and is worried that if the lineups and wait times continue to rise, people may not get tested.

If he needs to be tested in the future, Kendrick said he would go to a different site.

On Tuesday, 60 of the new reported cases were in Manitobans who were not fully vaccinated, 230 were in fully vaccinated individuals and 12 were in partially immunized people.

There were 133 COVID-19 patients in hospital, and 26 in intensive care.

Winnipeg had the highest number of cases at 200, with 47 in Southern Health, 14 in Interlake-Eastern, 11 in the Northern Health region and 30 in Prairie Mountain Health, the province’s pandemic dashboard says.

No additional deaths were announced Tuesday.

To date, 1,366 Manitobans have died of the virus since the spring of 2020.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca