COVID-19 testing in Ballarat: beyond capacity with plans to expand

The 4Cyte Pathology testing site in Skipton Street is closed on Thursday morning.

Its website indicates it will be closed up until Sunday January 2 at least.

A number of people had been lining up on Thursday morning expecting an 8am opening.

A sign facing Skipton Street indicated the facility was closed, despite the entry point being off Bell Street.

The Courier has attempted to contact 4Cyte Pathology without success across the course of the week.

In addition, the UFS testing site in Dana Street has turned away those lining up for a walk-in COVID-19 test on Thursday morning.

Those queuing were handed instructions outlined on paper and were asked to make an appointment online or over the phone.

The Creswick Road testing site remains open.

ORIGINAL STORY

PLANS to step up COVID-19 testing capacity across the Grampians region are in preparations to face an expected 10,000 new infections in Victoria each day.

For now, testing resources remains strained amid intense demand this holiday season. Grampians Public Health Unit operations director Robyn Wilson moved to reassure "every available person on hand" to do testing, was out there testing.

Ballarat Health Services-led testing site on Creswick Road has been screening more than 800 people for the deadly virus since Boxing Day. Ms Wilson said it was not feasible to keep extending hours because testing teams, already working long days, risked burn out.

Some wait times exceeded four hours at the long weekend with testing queues still more than two hours' long late on Wednesday afternoon.

The bulk of testing demand has been for interstate travel requirements, which now has some reprieve from South Australia dropping pre-arrival polymerase chain reaction tests, better known as PCR, and Queensland set to do so from Saturday.

Ms Wilson urged people not to get on a plane to Queensland before New Year's until they had a negative PCR result. She said relying on swift results turnarounds were a tough ask under travel criteria - and one in which BHS could do nothing to speed up.

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley flagged on Wednesday the faster rapid antigen tests, which tell if you are likely to have COVID-19, will be made free. The state government has ordered more than 34 million of these tests but was yet to make clear how these would be made available.

Ms Wilson said a rapid antigen test shortage through the Christmas period had proved an extra challenge, particularly for the testing site. The testing team was working to prioritise people with unwell with COVID-19 symptoms.

Anyone who receives a positive COVID-19 result on a rapid antigen test must act like they were positive for COVID-19: isolate and get a PCR test until there was a negative PCR result.

RELATED COVERAGE:

Ms Wilson urged people with symptoms to explore other test options, such as the UFS COVID-19 clinic which could only test people with symptoms, particularly with hot weather ahead.

"We're really worried about people queuing up in the car on a hot day and when they're not well," Ms Wilson said. "So please, if you are queuing up take lots of water and be prepared for it to be a wait."

UFS testing has limited hours, 9am-1pm, until January 4 and is closed New Year's Day. The Creswick Road site continues to operate each day as normal.

If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.