How to get tested for COVID-19 without waiting hours at a shopping centre

A worker at a shopping centre COVID-19 testing facility has urged people to call their GP for a referral to another testing hub if they can’t afford to wait for hours, as testing wait times at shopping centres blow out.

Before the Highpoint Shopping Centre COVID-19 testing facility had even opened this morning, wait times for tests were over two hours.

Press PLAY below to hear how to get tested without waiting hours in a shopping centre testing queue.

Samantha, one of the medical staff at that testing hub, said the queues are the longest experienced since the testing centre opened eight weeks ago.

“We already have cars that are outside the car park so we can’t actually line up cars at the moment because they’re on the street,” she told Neil Mitchell.

“At that point we have to close temporarily to clear traffic for safety reasons.”

But Samantha said it’s possible to be tested without waiting in a queue for hours, and urged Victorians try that option if they need to be tested.

“My advice would be for people that can’t afford to wait two or three hours in a car, to call their GP,” she said.

“GPs can provide people with referrals to get swabbed at some other collection centres that aren’t these retail shopping centre drive-throughs.

“There are some walk-in clinics and some private pathology collection drive-throughs around Melbourne and with a GP referral you can actually get tested there.

“I don’t think the community really knows that!”

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