Ballarat Integrated Health Centre chiropractor Julia Higgns was forced to stand down from work for a week after taking the swab test for a "snuffly nose". Her negative result to COVID-19 was confirmed eight days later only after what she said was persistence and her medical contacts.

Dr Higgins made clear staff on the coronavirus hotline and in the testing laboratories were largely trying their best to help but she was concerned they were severely under-resourced to handle the state government testing blitz.

"This is a real mess," Dr Higgins said.

"We're trained in best hygiene practice, we know how to steralise and how to keep ourselves and our patients safe as much as we can. We're a private business keeping the economy afloat during the pandemic...and I could not work because the system was too incompetent.

"We don't want people to be discouraged to be tested."

Dr Higgins said she had a tendency to get allergies and developed sniffles last Wednesday afternoon after her shift at her Bacchus Marsh clinic.

This was just as a COVID-19 case had been confirmed at the nearby Grant Lodge aged care centre.

Dr Higgins was not sick and did not have a temperature or a cough but acted on well-publicised state medical advice to get tested. She made clear at a Bacchus Marsh testing site she was an active healthcare professional and was told her test would be marked as a priority.

Repeated calls without any results forced Dr Higgins to cancel her shifts leading into the weekend, then again early in the week. She was referred to a Melton-based general practitioner, unable to give her the results despite confirming the clinic had the results, before turning to help from her own general pracitioner's clinic moments before her first patient on Wednesday morning.

There was similar confusion, frustration and distress from Ballarat residents, via social media, to The Courier's story on testing delays in the wake of a fortnight-long testing blitz.

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The results lag was impacting people who tested with symptoms and those who tested without symptoms, whether those tested were a healthcare or priority worker or not. The only difference being those who presented for an asymptomatic test did not have to self-isolated unless they developed any symptoms before a result was returned.

And not every test created a lengthy wait for results.

Dr Higgins was concerned this could lead to more people masking mild symptoms to avoid a potential lengthy delay. Or, people not being so diligent isolating while awaiting results.

The Courier remains waiting for comment and clarification from the Victorian health department on testing delays. Questions were put to the department on Wednesday morning.

This comes as a new COVID-19 infection was confirmed in Ballarat on Wednesday in what was the city's first case in six weeks.

Victoria's chief health officer Brett Sutton this week said there would continue to be outbreaks of the virus. Professor Sutton said the testing blitz had uncovered cases that otherwise likely would have gone unnoticed.

Anyone with possible COVID-19 symptoms, including a runny nose or sore throat, is urged to book a test with the UFS-led clinic at Lucas Community Centre, phone 4311 1571.

Ballarat Health Services is also working on more mobile test services for priority workers, including teachers before on-site classes resume.

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