Coronavirus: Healthcare worker one of dozens of Aucklanders waiting for Covid-19 drive-thru test

Dozens of people are waiting to be tested for COVID-19 at the St Lukes drive-thru clinic. Photo / Michael Craig

Dozens of people appear to be waiting to enter a coronavirus drive-thru testing station in Auckland, including a healthcare worker urging those with symptoms to get checked.

Photos sent to the Herald show a long line of cars stacking up along St Lukes Rd todaynear a Covid-19 testing station.

A critical healthcare worker, who did not wish to be named, was one of those waiting in the huge line.

"It's all the way down the main road, it's taking up an actual lane," she said.

"I've been here for about an hour and have hardly moved. This will be like this all day."

Drivers queue to be seen at the coronavirus COVID-19 drive-thru testing station in St Lukes. Photo / Michael Craig

She said police were at the scene.

A police spokeswoman said officers were helping with congestion, however, are no longer at the drive-thru testing station.

"While traffic is busy in the area there are no other issues," she said.

The healthcare worker told the Herald her GP had recommended she be tested for the virus sweeping the world after she began displaying several of the symptoms.

"I'm an essential healthcare worker with symptoms, no contact with any overseas [travellers], that I know of, but obviously I'm taking precautions because I don't want to be one of those numbers that never got tested and is passing it along to everybody.

"My role is going into people's homes and going around Auckland and so I have no clue [if and how I got it], I really don't know."

A patient is seen by a healthcare worker at the St Lukes drive-thru clinic today. Photo / Michael Craig

She said she had every symptom associated with the virus, including struggling to breath, but did not yet have a temperature.

"I've got family that have been sick, children who have had cold symptoms the last couple of weeks and we just don't know if they've been quiet and asymptomatic," she said.

Her husband was also home in isolation because one of his staff members is being tested, she said.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Health announced they had confirmed 66 cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand.

There is a growing debate about whether the country should enter a full lockdown now to try to alleviate the impact of the virus as much as possible.

Frontline health workers have said they want to move to alert level 4 now, which would see only essential businesses open.

"Any statistic we get right now that shows community transfer is so important," the healthcare worker waiting to be tested said.

"It's really important, other countries it's all community transfer now ... it's going to happen [in New Zealand]."

The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has surged past 311,000 with more than 13,500 deaths globally.

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