Vehicles lined up for 1.6 kilometres as COVID-19 testing sites reopen in Metro Vancouver
COVID-19 testing sites that closed in Metro Vancouver because of extreme cold weather reopened Monday, and were quickly overwhelmed once again with test-seekers, resulting in more hours-long waits.
Last week, Vancouver Coastal Health closed its St. Vincent and Vancouver International Airport testing centres as the region experienced record-breaking low temperatures.Before the closures, many going to the sites had to stay in line for several hours to get a test, and with the reopening, it appears waits are just as long.
A line of cars more than a kilometre long was seen down Cambie Street, looping onto King Edward Avenue Monday.
Davinder Brar arrived at the St. Vincent testing centre in Vancouver around 11:30 a.m. and by 4 p.m., he was at least 30 minutes from getting to the front of the line.
"It's really frustrating to stay in line for half a day," he said.
Brar said he picked the St. Vincent testing site specifically because of a VCH-sponsored emergency department wait times website that told him it would be less than 40 minutes.
"Richmond was showing two hours, North Vancouver showing 50 minutes and this one was showing 37 minutes. I thought it would take a maximum of one hour, one-and-a-half hours," he said.
CTV News Vancouver has reached out to VCH for information on the discrepancy between the posted wait times and the actual wait times.
Meanwhile, the wait at the Richmond collection centre Monday afternoon was listed as nearly five hours long.
Even after staying in line, some may be given a rapid test to take home. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry explained last week that the "more-accurate" PCR tests are being prioritized for those who are considered "highest risk."
In an effort to manage capacity, both Henry and VCH asked some to forego testing altogether.
"To preserve testing capacity for those at higher risk from COVID-19 at this time, people do not need to get a test if they are fully vaccinated, have mild symptoms, and are able to self-isolate until symptoms improve," VCH said online when announcing the testing centres were open again.
Those seeking other options for testing in the VCH region can go to go to a testing site at the University of British Columbia, which only offers takeaway rapid tests, or go to an urgent and primary care centre offering testing. According to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control's collection centre dashboard, several of those locations are by appointment only.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.