For the second-straight day a COVID-19 testing site in Winnipeg was forced to redirect patients to other sites Wednesday after officials say it once again hit capacity.
The drive-thru testing site on Main Street stopped taking people looking for tests about three-and-a-half hours after opening. A record-setting number of tests led to the same situation Tuesday.
A Global News reporter was at the site at 1284 Main St. Wednesday as officials went up and down the line, redirecting them to one of the two other testing locations in the city, including a walk-in location at Thunderbird House on Main Street where a line of people waiting for tests was already out the door.
On Tuesday the same drive-thru site was forced to redirect patients after Winnipeg Regional Health Authority officials confirmed a record-setting 568 tests were performed at the site.
“We have seen a significant increase in demand at Winnipeg community COVID-19 testing sites in the last week,” a WRHA spokesperson said in a statement sent to Global News Tuesday.
The same site saw 523 tests performed Monday, which officials say was the previous record.
Maria Phelps-Doran was one of the patients redirected to Thunderbird House Wednesday, she thinks there need to be more drive-thru sites opened in Winnipeg if the demand is so high.
“I just think it’s weird that they closed the Bison Drive one if they’re at capacity at the only other drive-thru one,” she said.
The testing site on Bison Drive was closed in June along with one at Sergeant Tommy Prince Place.
In a statement to Global News, the WRHA said the drive-thru site on Main Street would remain open until 7 p.m. Wednesday.
While the WRHA says it’s working on short term plans to manage the surge, they wouldn’t say if the plan includes reopening old sites.
Earlier in the day health officials said 722 COVID-19 tests were done across the province Tuesday.
There are currently three testing sites open in Winnipeg, including the MPI drive-thru testing site at 1284 Main St., St. James Assiniboia Centennial Pool at 644 Parkdale St. and Thunderbird House at 715 Main St.
A full list of test sites across the province is available at the province’s website.
On Wednesday eight new probable and confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported in Manitoba.
The new cases bring the province’s total known case count since March to 374, with 49 active cases and one person in hospital in intensive care.
The province is also considering implementing Phase 4 of reopening as early as this weekend.
–With files from Joe Scarpelli
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.
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