SHA working to address drive-thru testing delays, wait times

Sask. drive-thru testing sites backed up WATCH: Drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites in Regina and Saskatoon have seen delays and long line ups. Marc Smith reports.

REGINA — Anyone heading for a COVID-19 test at drive-thru testing sites in Regina and Saskatoon this week is being met with a long line.

After experiencing mild symptoms, Evangeline McMillan decided to go get tested. She ended up waiting five hours in line.

"It went slow and I mean painfully slow, I think it was close to two and a half hours before I got to Dewdney [Ave.]," McMillan told CTV News.

McMillan said there were cars cutting in the line ahead of people waiting and she believes it could have been set up more efficiently.

"They had so much time to prepare for this, why was it moving so slowly and I had to go to the bathroom and there was no way to even consider that possibility," she said.

According to the Saskatchewan Health Authority, around 550 tests per day are being performed at Regina’s drive-thru testing site with demand increasing this week.

The SHA set out tweets this week acknowledging long lines in Regina and Saskatoon and that they may not be able to test everyone waiting in line.

McMillan said she’s concerned the long wait might deter people from seeking testing.

"When people understand how long the wait is, I believe many are just going to say, 'No, I don’t have six hours, I can’t sit in a car or truck for six hours,'" she said.

The SHA said is working on ways to speed up the wait times at drive-thru testing facilities.

"We are looking at what we do over the next few weeks and months to come to either expand hours or expand services so that we can accommodate more people getting tested," SHA CEO Scott Livingstone said.

The SHA reminds those with symptoms to contact HealthLine 811 to schedule an appointment time to receive a test, which it hopes could lower the wait times at the drive-thru testing facilities.