Growing demand for COVID-19 tests contributes to long wait times

(Update: Adding video, comments from St Charles Health System, Deschutes County Public Health Department)

Wait times increase for COVID testing clinics

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- As the Omicron variant continues to spread rapidly, some Central Oregon COVID-19 testing clinics are experiencing longer wait times.

“With this increase in cases, we have seen a significant increase in numbers of people looking to get tested," Deschutes County Public Information Officer Morgan Emerson said Monday.

The Deschutes County Public Health Department partnered with Curative to offer Covid-19 testing sites in both Redmond and Bend, on the Central Oregon Community College campuses.

“The Bend location right now is booked through Friday, and the Redmond location does have availability as early as tomorrow," Emerson said.

The St. Charles Health System reported giving 1,400 total Covid tests as of late last week, with long lines again on Monday.

Last Friday, the St. Charles facility gave 428 COVID tests. On Saturday, they gave 364 COVID, and on Sunday they gave 390.

With still a high demand for tests, however, the numbers are spiking back up.

“Today so far appears to be very busy, and I think we anticipate being on track with numbers above 500 a day again," said Dr. Jeff Absalon, chief physician executive for St. Charles Bend. "We’ve also asked for community partners to potentially open up their doors and-and increase access to testing throughout.”

Absalon added the wait times are also a matter of staffing issues. With more people coming in for tests, and fewer workers, longer wait times are to be expected. In some cases, St. Charles had up to three-hour wait times, and it fluctuates by day.

Emerson said the turnaround for the test results vary.

“Rapid antigen tests are the fastest. The turnaround time is typically around 15 minutes," she said. "PCR tests take a little bit longer. The Curative sites are around one to four hours to get those results, so you’ll get those the same day. The urgent care locations and clinics in our community offer PCR tests as well, and those can take one to four days to get those results.”

The Deschutes County Public Health Department continues to encourage people to get tested if they're showing symptoms or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.

For more information: https://www.deschutes.org/health/page/covid-19-testing