BOSTON (WHDH) - While Gov. Charlie Baker says Massachusetts is looking to expand coronavirus testing, the state’s 300 sites are being overwhelmed by residents looking to get tested before Thanksgiving.
The Carewell Urgent Care in Somerville doesn’t require symptoms or a doctor’s referral for a test, but the test costs $160.
Denise Goode said she waited in line for four hours Tuesday to get tested and didn’t think she’d get in.
“It shouldn’t be this hard, it just shouldn’t,” Goode said. “And it shouldn’t cost so much money either.”
Drive-in sites were also seeing huge lines, with cars snaking through the TJX corporate parking lot in Framingham.
“Busy is an understatement. We do 650 to 700 cars every four hours,” said Brenda Giroux, a security officer at the testing site.
Baker said rules for testing are controlled by the federal government, which provides funding. He added that he is working to get wait times reduced.
“As we move into the rest of this year, you will see us working to try to get some latitude from the feds,” Baker said. “With respect to the lines we have now, I think we’ll see new products come into the marketplace that make it possible for people to significantly expand testing.”
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