The line outside Saint John’s Diamond Jubilee Cruise Ship terminal stretched on for a kilometre Thursday afternoon.
Residents were not hoping to catch a ship, but instead stock up on COVID-19 rapid test kits.
The distribution site was scheduled to open at 1 p.m. but, up at the front of the line, Matthew Belding was there at 10 a.m.
“I’ve got a little girl that is a frequent flyer to the IWK so we’re just taking precautions,” he says.
“The batch we got prior to Christmas is all gone now.”
Thursday was the first day the kits were given out in the city since last week.
Belding and hundreds of others lined up Wednesday but went home empty-handed.
“We all got here probably about 11 o’clock yesterday,” says Belding.
“I was about sixth in line and we sat here until about ten to one and they came out and told us that they weren’t getting any tests.”
The distribution site’s shipment was seemingly delayed, prompting an apology from Horizon Health.
“We are working with our partners in government to address these issues, and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this has caused,” Jean Daigle, Horizon’s VP of community, says in a statement.
“We are also working with our on-site teams to help ensure that anyone waiting in line to receive a kit can be notified when supplies are running low in order to reduce the number of people waiting unnecessarily.”
Supply shortages are also affecting the mobile pickup location in Grand Bay-Westfield, where hundreds of cars sat idle in lines Wednesday.
Horizon points to the province as responsible for shipment and supply.
“The holiday season has caused a slow down in the delivery of rapid tests to New Brunswick,” writes Department of Health spokesperson Alexandra Davis, “but we continue to distribute kits each day until the distribution centre’s daily allotment has run out.
“This will continue into the new year when deliveries return to normal.”
It’s unclear why zero tests were seemingly distributed in Saint John if the centre’s daily allotment was still expected to be met.
For some in line, this government statement is insufficient.
“For me, it’s just complete disorganization within Public Health,” says Michael Oland.
“The Higgs government has really let us down since June and I don’t know that anybody’s home.”
Another in the queue raised concerns over accessibility.
“What about the handicapped people?” asks 71-year-old Andy Folkins.
“That’s who I’m worried about. I’m a good lad, I can come here and stand.”
About an hour before opening Thursday, one staff member at the cruise ship terminal walked the line with a box, distributing rapid test kits to some of the elderly in the queue, seemingly in an attempt to alleviate their wait.
Health Minister addresses concerns
New Brunswick Health Minister Dorothy Shephard spoke to Global News Thursday afternoon about rapid test distribution, saying a shipping delay caused Wednesday’s headaches.
“I think when we have one late delivery out of the hundreds and hundreds of deliveries we’ve had, maybe even thousands, I think we have to have some understanding,” Shephard says.
She says distribution centres usually plan to cut off after handing out a certain number, leaving some for the next day.
However, Christmas Eve saw staff hand out the entire supply – with the site not set to open again until Wednesday.
Shephard says that when the scheduled opening time of 1:00 approached and the new shipment hadn’t arrived yet, staff made the call to send those waiting in the cold home.
“I know it’s not easy to have been in those lineups and I’m very sorry for people who have waited to be turned away,” says Shephard.
The Minister says high turnout and long lines are the results of residents recognizing the value of rapid tests.
She says, however, they should be used sparingly and in conjuncture with other measures.
“If they’re keeping their contacts low, if they’re mitigating the risks, wearing their mask, social distancing, washing their hands often – they don’t need to test every day,” Shephard says.
“I use my tests if I’m going to be going somewhere, if it’s not a day I’m staying home, to ensure I have a negative before going anywhere.”
Acknowledging flaws in accessibility with the Province’s current model of handing out the tests, Shephard says the Department is looking at new ways to distribute.
She says more information on that is still to come – but could involve a priority-based distribution.
Shephard is expected to speak Friday morning at a Provincial COVID-19 briefing.
Meantime all rapid test distribution centres are now closed in New Brunswick until January 4.