Motorists go to the toilet in buckets as SA test queue waiting times blow out

Wait times at various sites across SA have ballooned with people reporting they’ve had to use a bucket to go to the toilet. Meanwhile, two Clinpath Covid sites remain closed indefinitely.

Desperate motorists are calling for extra amenities at Covid testing sites in South Australia, with some resorting to going to the toilet in buckets as wait times continue to blow out.

On a day when 3493 new Covid cases were recorded in SA, the Victoria Park drive-through site had wait times for unbooked motorists of 10 hours on Wednesday, and up to seven hours at Ridgehaven.

In an online forum discussing the state’s Covid testing stations, people said they had gone to the toilet in a bucket due to the long waits.

“A bucket with kitty litter served me well in the Tanunda line,” a woman wrote on the Facebook group.

Another woman suggested a bucket with a car sponge in it to absorb the moisture.

”Awkward to use when sitting in a car but convenient, especially with children,” she wrote.

There were suggestions of people using adult diapers to avoid using the public toilets which may have been used by Covid infectious people in the line.

A man called on additional amenities as wait times increased.

“There’s plenty of space along that waiting line, where a couple of additional portaloos could be added,” he said.

One woman said there were traffic controllers at sites but not enough toilets.

“Obviously this was planned by men who can pee in a bottle,” she said.

There are limited public toilets available for use at various testing sites.

A spokesperson for the state government said people needing a PCR test should make use of the SA Health booking system or check SA Health’s daily Facebook update for COVID-19 testing site wait times for the dozens of testing centre across Adelaide and South Australia.

“The booking system allocates tests within a two hour timeframe and the Facebook updates enable people to avoid going to sites where there are lengthy queues,” they said.

“Portable toilets are installed at Victoria Park and cleaning frequency increased to cope with increased demand.”

Meanwhile, in a move hoped to relieve the pressure on testing queues, Premier Steven Marshall has announced testing for close contacts will soon move from a PCR test to a free rapid antigen test for people who are not symptomatic.

It comes as two of the state’s major Covid-19 testing stations have reopened, but others remain closed indefinitely following critical staffing constraints within the health sector.

Clinpath Pathology on Tuesday was forced to close the St Mary’s, Aldinga, Smithfield and Gepps Cross testing sites due to staffing issues.

The Aldinga and Gepps Cross sites would reopen on Wednesday, a Clinpath spokeswoman said, but the Smithfield and St Mary’s site remained closed.

The spokeswoman said Clinpath was hopeful they would reopen on Monday, January 10.

Sites had to close Tuesday after staff were from the testing sites were redeployed to respond to a surge in demand for testing in nursing homes.

As the company’s Aldinga testing site closed on Tuesday morning, the wait time at SA Pathology’s nearby Aldinga Beach drive-through site ballooned to six hours, before easing to three hours in the afternoon.

SA Pathology testing sites waiting times at 2.30pm:
Hindmarsh 2-3 hrs
Elizabeth South 4 hrs
Ridgehaven 4 hrs
Hampstead 2-3 hrs
Port Adel 4 hrs
Repat 2 hrs
Vic Park
-Bookings 3 hrs
-Non bookings 6 hrs
Bedford Park <1 hr
RAH 4 hrs
Aldinga 2-3 hrs
Mt Gambier 4 hrs
Bordertown <1 hr pic.twitter.com/vXdCxzMVcc

— SA Health (@SAHealth) January 4, 2022

Major pathology company Australian Clinical Labs shut its 28 drive-through and walk-in clinics for PCR testing in Sydney until further notice.

Premier Steven Marshall said SA was facing issues with public health workers being sidelined due to Covid.

“We do have some really critical constraints in South Australia as well in terms of SA Health workers who are Covid positive and also being furloughed,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

Mr Marshall said there was “additional stress” on the system on Tuesday after the closure of Clinpath’s sites, but he remained confident SA Pathology would continue “improving their efficiencies to get those results”.

Mr Marshall said the testing system was being streamlined by ensuring people who get tested were symptomatic or close contacts.

“SA Pathology is a very well oiled machine,” he said.

ALDINGA: There’s not a person in sight at Clinpath’s testing site here… but it’s a 5 HOUR WAIT at the nearby SA Heath site.

It’s one of four Clinpath sites to close. Smithfield, St Mary’s and Gepps Cross are also out of action, as a result of staff shortages @7NewsAdelaidepic.twitter.com/AWhpHp3yhp

— Kimberley Pratt (@KimberleyPratt_) January 4, 2022

SA Pathology on Tuesday announced it had lost, but then later found, a container filled with about 100 Covid-19 test swabs and blood samples that were being flown from Mt Gambier to Adelaide.

A spokeswoman said the error was due to a “delay with (an) external courier”.

Opposition health spokesman Chris Picton said South Australians got a “rude shock” when they discovered the four Clinpath Pathology testing sites were closed.

“This just moved the demand on to other testing centres,” he said.

“It is undeniable that Steven Marshall did not prepare properly before he opened the borders.”

Australian Medical Association SA president Michelle Atchison said the health system was not ready to cope with the state’s surge in cases.

“At the moment we’ve got that perfect storm of so many staff being furloughed or actually being sick,” Ms Atchison said.

“Staff are (also) being moved around everywhere to try to fill holes and gaps that we’ve got.”

SA Pathology on Tuesday issued a public call-out for phlebotomists to apply for jobs in metropolitan collection centres.

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