BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Massachusetts' COVID-19 testing sites are being slammed ahead of the holidays, with some locations seeing five hour-long drive-thru lines.
Dr. Brian Cruz, Regional Medical Director at Physician One Urgent Care, said they are running several coronavirus testing sites, and patients are getting frustrated at the long waits.
"I think the frustration just comes from it becoming more difficult to get the test," Dr. Cruz said. "There's also a little bit of increase in turnaround time with the tests."
At his COVID-19 briefing Wednesday, Gov. Charlie Baker said the recent increased demand for tests is due in part to residents wanting to make sure they're coronavirus-free before traveling to see family for Thanksgiving. However, Baker said, people can only know they're negative for the virus on the day they were tested.
Instead, Baker urged residents to stay home and spend Thanksgiving with members of their household amid the pandemic.
"We're urging everybody to make a difficult choice this Thanksgiving," Baker said Wednesday. "If we treat this year just like we treat every other Thanksgiving, it's quite likely that it will trigger a significant spread. And we know that that leads to serious illness for many and in rare cases death, especially among our senior citizens."
Many testing locations in the Commonwealth have reported an increased demand for tests. CVS and Walgreens allow patients to book three days ahead, and appointments have been going as soon as they're posted at midnight.
WBZ NewsRadio's Karyn Regal reports:
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