Covid Australia: People sleeping in cars to get tested, testing clinic 4Cyte savaged

Australians are going to extreme measures in order to secure a Covid test, but desperate attempts and very early wake up calls are still proving pointless.

As NSW’s testing facilities continue to strain under an overwhelming amount of people lining up for a swab, some residents have resorted to extreme measures in order to secure themselves a spot.

Some people in line at the Coffs Harbour International Stadium drive-through clinic had slept in their cars overnight, in order to access testing.

Reports are that people have been in the covid testing line at the stadium in Coffs since 11pm last night… sleeping in their cars to ensure they get a test. People are almost at breaking point. @nbnnewspic.twitter.com/DeYvJxJLDk

— Alison Paul (@AlisonPaulCoffs) December 26, 2021

Responding to a tweet, one woman said her daughter was in line from 9pm the night prior, after being turned away for a test at 6.30am.

“They were first in line (security guy tried to tell them to go home and come back about 3am, but when someone else turned up to do the same thing, he went ‘oh’,” she tweeted.

“Despite being first, they still didn’t get through and done till 8.45 (opened at 8) because the admin people had tech troubles with laptops freezing and disconnecting from the Wi-Fi.

“They were messaging us saying ‘omg the poor admin staff.”

Incorrect. 9pm. Daughters got there then after being turned away at 6.30am yesterday. They were first in line (security guy tried to tell them to go home and come back about 3am, but when someone else turned up to do the same thing, he went 'oh'

— Tracey 🌏🔥💔😭💧🐨🌱🏳️‍🌈 ⚧ 🚲 😈 (@traceanalysis) December 27, 2021

On Monday morning, reports said residents were being turned away by 8.45am, despite the clinic opening less than an hour earlier.

One Twitter user who arrived at a clinic at 5am said that by the time they got there, there were already 100 cars in the queue.

#covid testing at stadium drive coffs harbour at 5.30 Monday morning. Everyone is wanting to go to QLD. The testing clinic still won't be open for at least another 2 and a half hours, we have already been an hour and a half and we are car number 101. pic.twitter.com/qJuTtNGrJF

— Goose060 (@goose060) December 26, 2021

The Cessnock Showground testing faciliy in NSW Hunter Region was also closed from 11am onwards, after the site reached maximum capacity.

In Sydney, the Elizabeth Drive site in Liverpool has also been closed, with Pol Air and officers arriving on-site in order to manage crowds. The Leumeah drive-through testing clinic at Campbelltown Hospital is no longer accepting patients either.

Earlier in the day, buses in Bondi were forced to skip stops due to heavy congestion at the suburb’s testing sites. However services resumed about 11am.

At Bondi, buses are diverting away from Campbell Pde & Military Rd due to heavy traffic caused by Covid testing. Route 379 buses towards Bondi Beach are diverting via Wairoa Avenue and missing 4 stops. Route 380 buses diverting via Military Rd and missing 3 stops.

— Buses East (@BusesEast) December 26, 2021

Currently several clinics and sites are operating under reduced hours due to the Christmas and New Year period, but a ballooning number of close contacts and interstate testing requirements have caused an inflated need for testing.

On Monday, NSW recorded 97,241 tests were undertaken on Boxing Day, with Christmas Day and Christmas Eve boasting 109,545 and 149,261 tests respectively.

Police on site at the Cessnock Showground testing clinic on Mount View Road have been informed the site will be closed at 11am today. Please do not attend this clinic after 11am. Traffic will be diverted from the area. To find your nearest clinic visit: https://t.co/uKo6BDAooO

— NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) December 26, 2021

Fury as Covid test delays blow out

Angry Queenslanders furious at delays in receiving their Covid test results have blasted Qld Health and pathology labs for wait times of up to 120 hours.

Despite increased demand due to surging cases, several testing sites across the state were closed on Christmas and Boxing Day, or operating on reduced hours and less staff, the Courier Mail reports.

In their desperation, residents have flooded the Facebook pages of Queensland Health and pathology centres.

One resident said she knew “several people” who, despite being close contacts, were turned away at the Bundaberg testing facility on the state’s Capricorn Coast.

“The strain on the mental health of people locked up for extra days over the holiday period will take its toll,” she wrote on the Queensland Health Facebook page. “You need 2 or 3 more clinics running to even consider getting through the amount of people you are demanding be tested.”

The Boxing Day testing queue at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane – which is one of the state’s larger centres. Picture: Richard Walker

4Cyte, a pathology clinic which processes test samples, was also inundated with angry Queenslanders, annoyed at increased wait times.

“VERY UNSATISFACTORY- no result after 48 hours in a symptomatic patient who consequently attended a Queensland Health testing centre, receiving a POSITIVE result within six hours,” wrote one inflamed Queensland resident.

“I wish I had the 4Cyte to use another provider. Deadset don’t test in Qld if you are 3x slower then other providers,” shared another.

One furious resident said the pathology lab had “ruined Christmas”.

“You have ruined Christmas for so many families, it’s criminal,” they wrote.

The pathology centre, which operates clinics across Victoria, Queensland and NSW, had people from all three states venting their frustration on their social media pages. Some of the delays ranged from over 96 to 120 hours.

“We have been waiting MORE THAN 120 HOURS and still do not have my son’s PCR test results. We’ve tried calling several times only to get recordings,” wrote one commenter. “The least 4Cyte can do is reply to our emails! We have been forced to quarantine longer than necessary because we haven’t received our whole family’s results at the same time.”

“Stuck in Sydney and can’t get back to my 7 and 4yr old in Brisbane for Christmas because your turn around times are BS. My girls won’t have their mum with them for Xmas now,” shared another. “3 days waiting for results. 4 rescheduled flights. Hours of trying to call. Auto reply emails. Managed to speak to someone yesterday that assured me my test was in the machine and should hear back that afternoon. Nothing.”

400 incorrect tests sent

After days of long testing queues and increased wait times, strains in NSW’s Covid pathology system were made apparent after a testing bungle saw 400 people incorrectly given negative results.

Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital initiated an emergency response on December 26 and said the mistake was a result of “human error” from a SydPath employee.

Yup pic.twitter.com/CRPfe5wPlS

— Kris Taute (@KrinstopherT) December 26, 2021

On Sunday, Health Minister Brad Hazzard blamed interstate testing requirements for placing an “enormous pressure” on facilities. With NSW currently processing around 160,000 tests daily, Mr Hazzard called on other states, namely Queensland, to switch to rapid testing instead.

“Number one – as Health Minister, I certainly send again the message to those states that getting PCR tests is putting an enormous pressure on our pathology system and minimising the capacity for proper clinical PCR tests,” he said.

Premier Dominic Perrottet has previously asked residents to stop lining up for PCR tests as a precaution, saying the queue should be for symptomatic people or close contacts only.

‘The system is wrong’

Similar delays have also been reported in other big cities around the country. Twitter users around Australia reported waits times of 72 hours and over due to decreased hours and overwhelming test figures.

DO NOT RELY on 4cyte Pathology to provide covid test results when promised.
⁦@4cytePathology⁩ promised test results within 72 hours so my nephew and his wife could fly Melbourne to Brisbane- no results, no answer on their phone, no email, no hope https://t.co/nMnL7IaxiA

— kayc (@kayc713) December 25, 2021

Speaking to the Herald Sun, health experts urged state governments to increase resourcing and consider 24-hour testing clinics, with fears the excess wait times were deterring potentially infected people from getting tested.

“They get to a queue and a couple of hours in they might just say ‘I don’t think it is Covid, I’ll leave’,” said Deakin University chair of epidemiology Catherine Bennett. “If that’s the case, the system is wrong.”

Dr Bennett also feared that delays could delay treatment for immunocompromised people, or those with comorbidities, which could severely impede their chances of recovery.

“We actually know people at risk of developing serious illness do a lot better the earlier they’re ­diagnosed. It could be a life or death matter if they have to wait three extra days.”

Testing requirement rules remain

This is despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison pleading with state governments to scrap PCR requirements for interstate travellers. Currently people entering Queensland, and Tasmania need show proof of a negative PCR test taken 72 hours before entering the state, however Mr Morrison said abolishing this rule could free up resources for symptomatic people and close contacts.

“Some states are still of the view that they are requiring that, and we are seeking further medical advice on why that should be withdrawn,” he said after Wednesday’s National Cabinet meeting.

“About one in 1000 people being tested for travelling are testing positive. For those who are close contacts, it’s 17-20, and that gives you an idea of where resources are best applied.

In Queensland however, the rules won’t be repealed until January 1, at the earliest.

“We’ve said we’ll consider that over time and look at how the current policy position of the government may be changed from January 1, but there is no change to that position at the moment. But we will continue to monitor it and take health advice,” said Queensland’s Treasurer Cameron Dick on Sunday.