Test sites - latest news
BCH to prioritise Tier1 close contacts and those with symptoms, as testing sites overwhelmed.
SATURDAY, JULY 17, 12.15PM
Bass Coast Health has advised there are still long delays at all three testing sites in the shire - San Remo, Cowes and Wonthaggi, despite additional staff arriving from Foster, Warragul and Sale to help at the testing sites.
They are encouraging only people experiencing symptoms, or those who have been notified they are a close contact because they visited a Tier1 exposure site, to come for testing today.
CEO Jan Child has called on the community to help the health service prioritise the most urgent testing cases.
"If you have no symptoms and you haven't been at a Tier1 exposure site at the designated times, you don't need to panic," she said.
"Please stay home today, then come in a day or two, when we have processed all the other cases."
Ms Child said the BCH team was trying to redirect vehicles to different locations, to spread the testing load.
The testing site in Leongatha is currently only experiencing a 10 minute delay, so BCH is redirecting cars from the Wonthaggi drive through (where there is a a three hour wait) to the Leongatha site.
This will allow staff at San Remo (where there is currently a wait time of up to six hours) to redirect people to Wonthaggi, and staff at Cowes to redirect some people to San Remo.
People waiting at the Cowes Drive Through site are currently experiencing wait times of around eight hours.
Ms Child said the Wonthaggi Respiratory Clinic was also accepting walk ins today from the most urgent cases - Tier1 confirmed close contacts, or people with Covid symptoms.
You can also book online or phone 0492 036 568.
Ms Child thanked everyone for their patience but recommended everyone except the most urgent cases (Tier1 exposures, people with symptoms) go home.
"If you have no symptoms and haven't been at an exposure site, you can get tested in a day or two, when the demand has eased."
She said the testing sites were not going anywhere and would be operating at full capacity for the foreseeable future.
