DETROIT – Residents across Metro Detroit are waiting long hours at COVID testing sites as the omicron variant continues to spike throughout our nation.
Home rapid test kits quickly sold out, prompting people to turn to urgent cares and emergency rooms to get tested.
“We got here just before 10, so now it will be less than a half an hour,” someone waiting for a test said.
Kim Cook recently took a test at home, but she wanted some reassurance.
“I’ve been here for about two hours and 21 minutes,” said Cook. “I’m symptomatic. I think I’ve got COVID, so I came here to be tested.”
A testing site at Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights had people waiting to be tested for more than three hours. Some residents like Danielle Atnip, hope their holiday gatherings won’t prolong the pandemic.
“I went to the urgent care by my house, but you had to wait inside, and the line was going outside,” Atnip said. “I’d rather be safe and wait in my car.”
Like Atnip, people are heading into the new year with the frame of mind to rather be safe than sorry. Due to precautions, testing sites across the Metro Detroit area have extended their hours.
For instance, Detroit’s Joseph Williams Recreation Center has extended their hours until 4:30 p.m. this week, including New Year’s Eve, as they are getting ready for their COVID testing rush.