The waiting time for COVID-19 testing on Queensland's Sunshine Coast is growing longer, with people regularly waiting more than an hour to get to the front of the line.
Queensland Health has three COVID-19 clinics operating in the region, as well as another 20 locations where patients can receive a nasopharangeal swab.
At the Caloundra drive-through clinic on Monday people were waiting for as long as two hours to get tested.
The State Emergency Service was on hand to direct traffic.
Staff advised people to head to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital or go to Nambour in an effort to reduce the waiting time.
A spokeswoman for Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service said there was "increased demand" for the tests, and asked for understanding.
"We thank everyone who takes the time to get tested," she said.
"By doing so, you are helping us control the spread of this disease and protecting our community."
Cases low, but fear on the rise
As of Monday afternoon, the Sunshine Coast, Noosa and Gympie – all covered by the same health service – shared a single active case of coronavirus.
Another 21 people are in "self-quarantine".
The Gold Coast has just one active case, but more than 560 people are in self-quarantine.
Under the Chief Health Officer's guidelines, anyone crossing the border from New South Wales must be tested for COVID-19 and go into quarantine if they have symptoms, have been overseas or in a designated hotspot, or have had contact with a confirmed case.
Queensland reported one new case on Monday and no new cases on Tuesday.
Gold Coast Public Health chairman Roger Halliwell said concern across south-east Queensland was growing as residents watched the number of cases grow in other states.
"There's anxiety — it's increasing as we see what's happening in Victoria and to a lesser extent in NSW," he said.
"We do appreciate that some people will find this quite challenging."
Longer wait for results likely
Dr Halliwell said most COVID-19 test results came back within 48 hours, with patients being informed of a negative result via SMS.
But he said it could take longer for the results to come back as testing increased.
"I'm sure [the wait for results] is increasing it because the advice to people with respiratory symptoms is go home, stay at home until you get your result," he said.
"Incidentally, we're seeing the delay in those being processed starting to creep in.
"It's not as bad as five to seven days they had in Victoria, of course."
The Queensland Health spokeswoman said regardless of the wait times, those needing tests had done a great job.
"Queenslanders in the main have been outstanding throughout this pandemic," she said.
