Covid tests in high demand following Christmas, heading into New Years Eve

Published December 27, 2021 11:30 AM

The Christmas weekend may be over, but the demand for Covid-19 testing is not.

Riverside County health officials are reporting nearly 2,900 new cases since Thursday, while 783 new cases have been reported in the valley since Monday.

Valley covid-testing sites were packed with people, just days ahead of the new year.

“It’s been really busy, we’ve been having over 400 tests daily,” said Site Supervisor Christopher Olvera.

After spending Christmas with family and friends, many of them were back in line to make sure they didn’t catch the virus.

“We are visiting family and we were really trying to be safe," said Gus Alexander, "We’re actually getting tested now because we think we’ve been exposed."

At the Covid Clinic in Palm Desert on Monday, the line was at a stand-still at one point.

Cars were lined up bumper-to-bumper with many people waiting to get tested.

“It’s crazy, you know. But we gotta do it to travel and so we’re gonna sit here and wait til it’s done but you know, it’s not going away,” said Brian Tovey.

People were waiting anywhere from from 25 minutes to several hours for a test.

Many were frustrated about the hold-up since they booked appointments ahead of time.

Some people also voiced frustration with making a testing appointment.

“It was tough, it was tough," Tovey added, "The website was down and it was kind of just spinning on their website so you know, not the easiest.”

And with at home tests in short supply, many had no other choice but to line up at testing sites.

“Those at-home ones where you can get them in the stores, we haven’t found any," said Alexander, "And everyone we talked to at the CVS or the Walmarts or the Walgreens said there’s none in stock.”

So if you would like to get tested this week – plan ahead.

Here's a list of test sites across the Coachella Valley:

Palm Springs