ALISSA McEntyre has one word to describe waiting more than 72 hours for the results of her Friday COVID-19 test - and being told the confirmation text had been sent to the wrong number.
"Frustrated is probably the word that describes it the most," Ms McEntyre said on Monday. She received her negative result at 3pm.
"I was worried - am I sick, am I just waiting? Is my baby infected? Is my husband infected?"
Ms McEntyre said Laverty Pathology staff told her after her 2pm Friday test at the McDonald Jones Stadium clinic that she would receive her results within 48 to 72 hours and if she hadn't, to call.
She said she saw people who had also been tested at the same clinic on Friday and Saturday commenting in Facebook groups on Sunday that they had received either a text message their sample had been received, or their results.
She called Laverty three times on Sunday afternoon and night, but could not get through.
She emailed and called at 8am on Monday and after waiting 43 minutes was told that her sample was being processed - but the text message with this update had been sent to the incorrect number.
"Someone had sent the confirmation your-sample-has-been-received message to the wrong number," Ms McEntyre said.
"At the Laverty one you have to write down all your own details, so they've typed it in wrong rather than the person getting it [down] wrong. I asked to clarify if the correct number was [elsewhere in the system] and she said yes and she said 'Hopefully you'll hear today, it's still being processed'."
She said she was told the error would not hold up her sample being tested, or her receiving her result.
"She said because they get transported to Sydney - which is the first I'd heard that they weren't actually testing them up here - she'd had a few people inquire from 'up there' wondering where their results are, but on her end it said it was still being processed.
"I understand human error, but what happens if that happens when it's actually somebody's result and they're not as vigilant as me and give up?"
Ms McEntyre said she called Laverty on Monday afternoon before receiving her result and was told the stadium clinic's samples were processed in "whatever order they get taken off the truck".
"If I'd known my test was going to Sydney I would not have gone to Laverty, I would have found somewhere else, persisted at the uni or gone to John Hunter," she said.
The Newcastle Herald called and emailed Laverty but did not receive a response.
The 24 hour phone line has a prerecorded message saying "NSW Health has advised that you do not call for your result for at least 72 hours. We need time to process your sample. Laverty Pathology thanks you for your consideration during this very busy testing phase."
