Frustration, confusion over pop-up test sites

As demand surges, dozens head to mobile centres, but are turned away

There was confusion added to the frustration of long lineups at the city's COVID-19 testing centres Friday when dozens of people arrived at “pop-up” sites deployed to two local schools, only to find they were not eligible for tests.

Jessica Gowan was facing an eight-hour wait at the Moodie assessment centre with her young son when she heard about a rumoured pop-up site at a nearby high school, College Catholique Franco-Ouest, one of the area schools where the virus has been identified.

“He just had a little tummy ache yesterday, he's completely fine now; unfortunately we got the paper saying that we can't come back unless we get a (negative) test,” she said. By the time they arrived at 8 a.m., the lineup was already enormous. She was told it would be an eight-hour wait.

“Someone in line was told about a pop-up centre, so a bunch of people came over here, and a bunch of other people from Moodie came over here as well, and we were told we couldn't get tested here because this (pop-up site) is specifically for this school.”

Testing centres have been overflowing with demand this week, and the addition of mobile sites was announced on Twitter Thursday by Nepean MPP Lisa MacLeod, who called the lineups “unacceptable” and said Ontario Health is “actively and aggressively” pursuing solutions to “alleviate the pressure.”

But there was some confusion Friday as the details of the mobile pop-up sites were not immediately available while demand on existing centres continued to surge.

The Montfort Hospital announced on Twitter at 9:30 a.m. it had added “additional capacity” with a mobile pop-up site at its existing centre on Heron Road.

By that time, the west-end assessment centre on Moodie Drive announced it was already fully booked, while long lines formed at Brewer Arena.

The mobile testing clinic at Franco-Ouest, according to a notice from Ottawa Public Health, was for the targeted testing of students and staff of Franco-Ouest “who have previously been identified as a high-risk contact and had not yet been tested.”

The site was also available to any other student or staff of Franco-Ouest currently exhibiting symptoms.

“It's a little disappointing considering all the other test centres are at capacity super-early in the morning, people are waiting in eight-hour lines around the city,” said Jenna, a mom of twins who also arrived at the pop-up clinic hopeful to get tested.

“I don't think it's a good solution,” she said. “Parents have to work; it's not reasonable for parents with kids in schools to get them tested every two weeks and have them wait in lines like this, and drive all over the city just to get tested.”

During a media briefing Friday Dr. Vera Etches, the city's medical officer of health, said public health officials are “urgently” working on solutions for the lineups.

“When I'm in conversation about how to increase capacity it definitely comes back to staffing,” she said. “I know they are looking for more sites, and I know they keep learning and becoming more efficient at the sites they have.”