Quebec's testing sites overwhelmed as Christmas approaches
CBC
COVID-19 testing clinics across Quebec are stretched to the limit and Quebecers who are headed there en masse face long waits for tests — and results.
At Montreal's Hôtel-Dieu, hundreds of people were waiting in line Tuesday morning. Many of them, including Jonathan Nault, were experiencing symptoms but were unable to get a free rapid-test kit at their local pharmacy.
Nault said it took about 30 minutes to get through the line and speak to staff, who gave him the option of taking a PCR test on site or heading home with a rapid testing kit.
"We decided [to take the test] at home," said Nault. "We've got to take it once today, another one tomorrow and if we're positive we've got to wait for ten days and then take the official test."
At 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Montreal's West Island health authority sent out a tweet saying its drop-in testing sites in Kirkland and in Verdun had reached capacity for the day.
One of the few testing centres on the island that didn't hit full capacity today was the Viau drive-thru site that closes at 5:30 p.m. and can handle about 300 daily tests.
Public health authorities are asking Quebecers to fill out the COVID-19 symptom self-assessment form online, try to take a rapid test first and only go to a testing centre if they're showing symptoms.
But the distribution of free testing kits through pharmacies hasn't kept up with demand.
The province says people who are travelling or heading to holiday gatherings should avoid public testing clinics and either pay for a test at a private laboratory or pick up a rapid testing kit where they're available.
Some Montreal testing centres offer the option of booking an appointment ahead of time but wait times are currently anywhere between one and five days.
North of Montreal, Laval's director of public health, Dr. Jean-Pierre Trépanier, says his testing centres are taking saliva samples instead of handing out rapid tests.
"And so there are no waiting lines, but the fact is that the waiting line is at the lab," he said, adding that lab is currently at maximum capacity.
Laval public health says it's been taking roughly 3,000 tests per day since cases spiked and it reported 234 new cases Tuesday.
Trépanier says for those who give a saliva sample, it might take three to four days to get their results.
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