LONE TREE, Colo. — Long lines formed again Monday at COVID-19 testing sites, a day after people across the metro reported waiting hours for a test.
At the Sky Ridge Medical Center testing site in Lone Tree, the city said Sunday some people waited for up to two hours to get tested. Denver7 stopped by the site Monday morning and learned there was a similar wait.
"We're encouraged that so many people are interested in testing," said Diana Herrero, deputy director of CDPHE's Division of Disease Control and Public Health Response. "That shows us that they're taking it seriously."
Despite the long wait times at some sites, Herrero says they have a lot of capacity across the state's 150+ community testing sites, but don't expect to get your results so quickly.
"With, you know, [the] recent surge, so many people are interested in being tested," Herrero said. "We do just want to make sure that folks are realistic that there could be a little bit of a delay."
On its website, CDPHE warns if you didn't get tested by Monday, you may not get your results back in time for New Year's Eve.
An at-home test can you give results in just 15 minutes, but good luck finding one.
"It's super frustrating that it's still so hard to get our hands on these tests," Brendan Loy said.
It's been a journey for him to get tests for his family of five. Shipping delays and shortages haven't made it easy.
"I want to make sure that we have enough tests throughout the next few weeks," Loy said. "At least if there's an exposure, if somebody gets sick, we'll be able to test everyone in the family."
CDPHE is working with COVID-19 test providers to get tests shipped to those who've requested a delivery through the state's program, Herrero says.
It's important to remember, however, there's no requirement to report a positive test result from an at-home test, so the agency is hoping people will do the right thing by reporting the result and seeking a PCR test at a community site to confirm it.
"That's something that we continue to encourage to make sure that we've got the most accurate data," Herrero said.
