Caloundra Covid testing clinic very busy as opening hours extended to cater for rush

Residents were irate and traffic was backed up at a fever clinic after it was revealed a Covid-positive woman had been out and about on the Sunshine Coast.

A motorist tries to reason with other drivers to move as queues of cars line up for Covid-19 testing at Caloundra on Wednesday afternoon. Picture: Lachie Millard

Tensions were high and traffic was banked up for several hours as people rushed to be tested for Covid-19 after it was revealed a woman with the virus had travelled through the region.

A lengthy queue formed quickly at the Caloundra Minor Illnesses and Injuries Clinic after Queensland Health's announcement on Wednesday afternoon.

The site has been used as a fever clinic for Covid-19 testing since early last year.

It had been scheduled to close at 4pm on Wednesday but staff kept it open until 8pm to accommodate the rush.

Cars were queued in a long line outside the Caloundra Covid-19 testing clinic on Wednesday afternoon. Picture: Lachie Millard

Traffic was banked up on West Terrace, Caloundra and Bowman Roads, Second, Third and Fourth Avenue and Oval Avenue as people wasted no time getting tested at the drive-through clinic.

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However some impatient drivers became "irate" with the peak hour traffic and one woman was reportedly seen leaving her car to plead with other motorists to move their cars.

A resident who lives near the clinic said his wife initially thought there had been a fight between the woman and another motorist when she heard the commotion.

Drivers line up for Covid-19 testing at Caloundra on Wednesday afternoon. Picture Lachie Millard

The man said the mayhem was a repeat of what he'd seen at the clinic at the height of the pandemic last year.

He said his wife called him at about 5pm to warn him of the traffic as he was on his way home.

He said it was a slow crawl back to his house from the Caloundra Junior Rugby League Club just a few streets away.

The rush died down about 7pm with the number of cars lined up outside the clinic dwindling to about 10.

The man said many of the people who rushed to get tested immediately could have stayed home overnight and been tested first thing in the morning instead of causing a gridlock.

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Originally published as Caloundra Covid testing clinic very busy as opening hours extended to cater for rush