COVID-19 testing limited ahead of Christmas

Salt Lake City, Utah — People who need the COVID-19 test this week should plan on waiting a bit longer than usual.

“We have, since this last weekend, started to see a slight increase in testing numbers. Certain sites have seen some pretty long lines starting to form,” Utah Department of Health COVID-19 Testing Deputy Director Brittany Brown said.

According to Brown, it’s a combination of increased travelers, viruses with similar symptoms, omicron angst, and people just being careful before gathering.

“Our test sites have not been especially busy. I was tested at a state site last week and I was literally the only person there at that time. I drove up, got tested, and drove away. It was literally two minutes,” Salt Lake County Department of Health spokesperson Nicholas Rupp said.

Counties, clinics, and pharmacies also administer tests, besides three dozen state-run sites that can be accessed through TestUtah.com. While some require an appointment, others ask for registration before accepting walking-ins. Go to your county’s website for more information.

Health experts recommend the PCR test which can take a few days for a result but is considered the gold standard.

“I recommend a PCR test. It will take a little bit longer It is not that relatively quick antigen rapid test, but a PCR test is useful because it allows us, if you are positive, to sequence that sample and find out with variant it might be,” said Rupp.