Texans waiting hours for COVID-19 tests as cases increase
AUSTIN, Texas - A rise in COVID cases in Central Texas has led to a spike in demand for COVID tests, with some waiting in line for hours.
"We actually both had to call out from work just to get tested," said Vincent de la Fuentes of Austin, who waited in line for more than two hours to get a test at a site on South Lamar Boulevard.
It’s a common sight across the area, from the Long Center—which is offering mass testing Monday and Tuesday—to countless pop-up testing locations in parking lots. "We actually went to another place, and their line was super long too," said Carisma Cantu, waiting in line at the South Lamar site.
The high demand comes as Austin starts to see another COVID spike—with 469 new cases reported Monday alone, and 36 new hospital admissions—more than double the number a week ago. "I have a cousin who came down with COVID just after the holidays, so I wanted to be safe rather than sorry," said de la Fuentes.
The bumper-to-bumper traffic caused by overwhelmed test sites is causing major problems for nearby businesses.
"I’ve spent hours out here kind of waving, directing," said Erinn Leigh, owner of Maha Coffee and Sukha Yoga, which are a few blocks away from the South Lamar testing site. "We have had some people message us on Instagram saying ‘hey, I wanted to come by today, but it looked like something was going on, and we couldn’t get in.’"
So how do you know if you should jump in line? Doctors say getting a test is a good idea if you’ll be coming in contact with someone whose high risk, or if you have certain symptoms.
"So I would be looking for things like fever, aches, and pains just, you know, a persistent cough that's not getting better," said Austin physician Dr. Shawn Tassone.
Doctors say while omicron is more contagious than delta, it’s less virulent—meaning most people aren’t getting as sick from it. In fact, some Central Texans have reported thinking they just have allergies, until a test reveals it’s actually COVID.
"I still hear a lot of people talking about losing their sense of smell. So obviously that's not that wouldn't be normal for allergies or their sense of taste. Fevers obviously wouldn't be allergy-related," said Tassone.
For more information on testing, visit covid19.austintexas.gov.
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