PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — As COVID-19 continues to spike and spread throughout the Portland metro, lines at testing sites are getting longer and longer.
Multnomah County Public Health said coronavirus testing is up 20% over last week. One woman who spoke with KOIN 6 News said the wait time for a test at the Convention Center last week was about 4 hours. OHSU has seen a “significant increase” in testing, with hours-long waits.
There have also been long lines for testing at Ron Tonkin Field in Hilllsboro.
Dr. Jennifer Vines, the health officer for Multnomah County, said testing has slowly expanded throughout the course of the pandemic.
“With those kind of wait times I do take that as a signal that we need to expand testing and I think that’s an area we have struggled until now,” Vines said. “I think people are also getting the message that COVID- 19 is very real and we’re headed into a difficult chapter in this pandemic.”
Test results are coming back within 3-5 days, which is standard. Vines said if you think you’ve been exposed to COVID-19 or have symptoms, the first step to check with your primary care physician and see what your testing options are.
