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A line of cars stretches down the block as patients wait in their cars to be tested for COVID-19 at Community Health Center in Stamford, Conn. Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. Community Health Center's COVID-19 testing line has stretched around the block with patients often waiting several hours.
lessPhoto: Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut MediaA line of cars stretches down the block as patients wait in their cars to be tested for COVID-19 at Community Health Center in Stamford, Conn. Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. Community Health Center's COVID-19 testing
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A line of cars stretches down the block as patients wait in their cars to be tested for COVID-19 at Community Health Center in Stamford, Conn. Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. Community Health Center's COVID-19 testing line has stretched around the block with patients often waiting several hours.
lessA line of cars stretches down the block as patients wait in their cars to be tested for COVID-19 at Community Health Center in Stamford, Conn. Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. Community Health Center's COVID-19 testing
... moreSTAMFORD — Daniela Rodriguez pulled up to a Stamford testing site at 8 a.m. on Wednesday. Her young daughter sat in the back seat as the pair inched up Bedford Street and down Fifth. A police officer corralled incoming vehicles while Community Health Center employees zipped between cars to help check patients in. Around eighty vehicles were already lined up, all waiting to get a COVID test.
Rodriguez knew it would be a wait. She didn’t expect that she and her toddler would wind up sitting in her car for three hours until she was tested.
Across the region, patrons searching for a coronavirus diagnosis have reported long wait times at both private and publicly funded testing locations. As providers grapple with an influx of people seeking tests, state and local officials say foresight and some research could better the odds of avoiding a long wait. But there are few guarantees. Patience, and something to read, are imperative.
“The three and four hour wait times are an outlier, not the norm,” said Lora Rae Anderson, a spokesperson for Gov. Ned Lamont.
‘Unprecedented demand’
Community Health Center and the city have taken steps to bring down wait times and ease traffic caused by lines of cars. On Friday, CHC’s Fifth Street testing location was moved down to the Terry Conners Ice Rink at Cove Island Park.
“The Cove Island team reports waits were about 45 minutes,” said Vice President of Communications Leslie Gianelli. “It was a very smooth transition to the new location.”
Gianelli expects that the shorter wait reflects a new normal for the site, especially since Community Health Center rolled out a new online registration process “that makes the process more efficient and shaves time off the wait,” she said.
But, despite the promising news, coronavirus is still rising in the community and more people want tests, which means wait times could spike again.
Anika McPherson, Community Health Center administrative services coordinator, said people routinely begin lining up at 7 a.m. most days, before testing opens. CHC provides testing in towns and cities across the state, and Stamford is among the busiest, she said, a reality that at times means long lines.
The nonprofit tested approximately 4,500 people a day among all its locations from Nov. 22 to Nov. 28. In Stamford, Community Health Center tested roughly 400 people daily during that same period, split between its Scalzi Park and Fifth Street locations.
Demand for COVID-19 tests has skyrocketed in Connecticut in the last several weeks. During the final two weeks of November, healthcare providers administered 456,626 COVID tests in the state, up 6 percent from the previous two-week period.
Testing wait times can be luck of the draw, even in the same city on the same day. By anecdotal reports over the past week, waits in the city could be as short as 15 minutes or up to a few hours.
“In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, we saw an unprecedented demand for testing, which made wait times, both to schedule a test and receive results, longer. This was also the case at testing sites throughout the state of Connecticut,” said Liz Longmore, vice president of Ambulatory Services at Stamford Health.
“As we go forward into the winter months, we do anticipate we will see additional episodes of prolonged wait times and turnaround times for results,” she said.
Stamford Health offers tests by appointment through its Prescribed Alternative Testing Hubs, and same-day appointments are common through that venue. But Longmore said wait times can vary at its Immediate Care Center and Emergency Department, where speed largely depends on the volume of patients.
“The unprecedented demand for COVID testing is due to a number of factors, including testing for nursing home staff and patients, college students returning home, community-based demand, rise in cases and patients who are requesting testing due to travel and the holidays,” said Longmore.
The nonprofit Family Centers opened a testing facility on Palmers Hill Road on the West Side Thursday. That brought the number of testing locations in the city to at least 11. The city keeps an updated guide to testing sites on its website.
Traffic was slow and wait times were relatively short at the site on opening day, said health center manager John Midy, in part because the site is so new.
Options
“If you have insurance, you my want to consider a private site with appointments,” said Anderson.
The state maintains a list of free test sites available to all people, regardless of insurance coverage or immigration status.
In times when a COVID tests are necessary and waits can be long, Anderson suggested hitting the road to find a better alternative. There are 250 test sites available throughout the state; Anderson said the best option could be driving to a less busy area if possible.
For those who must stay local, Community Health Center encourages people to come prepared for a wait. Snacks are essential, said Gianelli.
“The wait times are unfortunate,” she said. “But we encourage people to bring a good book.”
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