Demand in rapid COVID-19 testing leads to long lines at urgent care centers

Some places are pushing for people to make appointments ahead of time to control the line of people.

News 12 Staff

Nov 13, 2020, 3:11 AM

Updated 1,432 days ago

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Rapid testing sites are starting to become increasingly crowded as COVID-19 cases rise across the region.
A line of people waited to get COVID-19 tests at CityMD on Central Park Avenue in Yonkers Thursday.
News 12 is seeing and hearing there's a spike of people getting tested for COVID-19 as cases climb statewide.
And it's turned into a waiting game at many places in the area.
Lucy Berberena, a medical assistant at the Urgent Care of New York in Thornwood, says the number of daily tests in some places has more than doubled.
"On a typical day, we've been seeing anywhere from 40 to 80 patients, and the past several weeks we started to see over 100 patients," she says.
She says patients have been traveling, and others have said they've been exposed at work or school.
"Right now, I think we're OK with the number of tests that we do have. But looking into the future if numbers do continue to grow, that is most definitely a concern - that we would at some point run out of tests," she says.
News 12 called urgent cares Thursday afternoon, and here were some waiting times for walk-ins:
CityMD in Nanuet - three hours
CityMD in Yonkers - two hours.
Health Quest Urgent Care in Wappingers Falls - one hour and 15 minutes.
Pulse MD requires a telehealth visit before getting tested. Its soonest availability in Mahopac is Sunday. In Poughkeepsie, it's Monday.
Some places are pushing for people to make appointments ahead of time to control the line of people.