People are stuck in Covid testing lines across Australia with some forced to wait up to nine hours as Omicron fuels a case explosion.
Sick Australians are facing another day waiting in long queues to get tested for Covid-19, as Omicron continues to sweep through the nation.
Australia passed a grim milestone on Tuesday, surpassing more than 500,000 Covid-19 cases. More than half of these have been recorded in the last two weeks alone.
Amid a nationwide lack of availability of rapid antigen tests, long lines had already formed at testing clinics in Brisbane hours before the centres opened on Wednesday, as the state braces for case numbers to explode.
On Tuesday, Queensland recorded its largest ever daily case number, with 5699 confirmed infections from more than 20,000 tests.
Chief health officer John Gerard said the positive test rate of about 23 per cent suggested there were many more Covid-positive people out in the community.
Amid reports of nine-hour waits for a PCR test, and results taking up to four days to be returned, he told Queenslanders: “If you are sick and not easily able to get tested at present: Please stay home. Assume you have Covid-19”.
Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said there were only three reasons for people to line up for a PCR test.
“If you have Covid symptoms … If you have done a rapid antigen tests and it’s come up positive, and thirdly (if) you are a household close contact and it’s day six and you haven’t been able to get a RAT,” she said.
Nine reported one car had been in line at a centre in Ashgrove, in Brisbane’s innerwest from 3am – hours before the doors opened at 7am.
That clinic was one of several QML clinics that was closed on Tuesday amid conflicting messaging.
Melbourne and Sydney were also plagued by testing centre closures on Tuesday, which is expected to create another day of headache-inducing testing queues.
More than 80 testing sites across NSW and Victoria have been shut to clear a backlog of testing.
Private laboratories 4Cyte Pathology, ACL, Melbourne Pathology and Dorevitch Pathology closed their combined 54 sites across Victoria as staff continue to work “24/7” to process a backlog of tests.
Victoria Covid Commander Jeroen Weimar said it was in everyone’s interests for the companies to process results as a priority.
“If you’re thinking about getting a test today, I’d only ask people who are currently symptomatic or already returned a positive rapid antigen test to come forward for a PCR test,” he said. on Tuesday
Melbourne is bracing for clinics to again reach capacity on Wednesday in a repeat of Tuesday’s chaos.
Meanwhile in NSW, 28 sites run by Australian Clinical Labs were closed to clear their own backlog of swabs.
NSW Health said testing capacity was under “enormous pressure” and emphasised the only people who should be getting PCR tested are those with Covid-19 symptoms, live in a household with a confirmed positive case, or had been directed by health authorities to get tested.
South Australia is likely to be plagued again by long testing queues on Wednesday after clinics were forced to close due to staff shortages.
Screening sites run by Clinpath were shut on Tuesday, but at least two will reopen today.
In Canberra, the Nicholls testing clinic was already at capacity 30 minutes after opening on Wednesday.
The wait at the Kambah drive-through clinic was at least 2 hours 30 minutes by 8.30am.
Originally published as Testing centres across the country under pressure as Omicron wreaks havoc
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