Testing centres across the country under pressure as Omicron wreaks havoc

Hundreds of thousands of Aussies are stuck in queues awaiting a Covid-19 test – leaving some vulnerable to ‘medical episodes’.

Emergency services rushed to western Sydney testing centre on Wednesday morning as Australians around the country face a day of exhaustive queues.

A NSW Ambulance spokesperson confirmed that paramedics were called to the Penrith Laverty drive-through clinic at 8.30am after a person suffered a “medical episode” while waiting in the queue.

The clinic was closed in response.

Queues at the drive-through Covid-19 testing clinic at Victoria Park in Adelaide on Wednesday morning. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

Around the country, hundreds of thousands of sick and worried Australians are facing hours in queues in an attempt to get a PCR test amid a shortage of rapid antigen tests.

Australia passed a grim milestone on Tuesday, surpassing more than 600,000 Covid-19 cases. More than half of these have been recorded in the last two weeks alone.

Long lines had already formed at testing clinics in Brisbane hours before the centres opened on Wednesday as the state braced for case numbers to explode.

Queues of cars kilometres long are causing traffic havoc across Brisbane as people attempt to get a Covid-19 test. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

Queensland on Wednesday recorded its largest ever daily case number, with 6781 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.”

A Covid-19 testing centre in Newmarket in Brisbane’s north. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Josh Woning

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 that one car had been in line at a centre in Ashgrove, in Brisbane’s inner west, from 3am on Wednesday – hours before the doors opened at 7am.

That clinic was one of several QML clinics that was closed on Tuesday amid conflicting messaging.

Some testing clinics in Melbourne were forced to turn people away as they reached capacity. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

Melbourne and Sydney were also plagued by testing centre closures on Tuesday that are expected to create another day of headache-inducing 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 continued 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.

Testing sites across the country were closed on Tuesday as private labs attempted to clear a backlog of test results. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

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 or those who live in a household with a confirmed positive case or have been directed by health authorities to get tested.

People are queuing for tests across the country as Omicron cases skyrocket. NCA NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

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 on Wednesday.

The Nicholls testing clinic in Canberra was already at capacity 30 minutes after opening on Wednesday.

Originally published as Testing centres across the country under pressure as Omicron wreaks havoc