A BENDIGO resident has been waiting almost two weeks to receive her COVID-19 test result.
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Jess, who did not want to be identified, was tested at Bendigo Health on May 11 after displaying some mild flu-like symptoms.
The hospital told Jess there would be a delay of between five to seven days from taking the test to receiving the result.
The Bendigo resident said after waiting for 10 days without hearing anything, she decided to contact the hospital.
The hospital referred her to what she believed was the infectious diseases clinic.
Her call to the clinic went straight to a voicemail, which told patients to leave a message and the clinic would respond promptly.
Jess said she left a message with the clinic on Thursday and still hadn't received a response. She tried them again on Saturday but the clinic was closed.
"One of the biggest frustrations is that if you call one place, they tell you to call another and then another," she said.
"There's no communication about whether there are further delays or if they have lost my test or my contact number.
"I get that there is a backlog of tests at the pathology labs. But they are not acknowledging that or telling anyone. No one will talk to me about it."
Jess works in the disability sector in Bendigo, and while she has been able to do some work from home, being in isolation has been difficult.
"No one has been disadvantaged because I have a great team," she said. "But the problem is I can't be there to support my team."
Jess said she was not critical of those working at Bendigo Health or in the COVID-19 testing areas.
"The people working on the ground are doing an amazing job," she said. "Everyone is working so hard.
"It's not anyone's fault. I just haven't found any reports of there being a delay this long.
"If there had been one report of delays of up to 14 days, then I would be able to relax. But no one else has been having these delays.
"I can plan for 14 days if they told me that from the start, but they are still not saying anything. It's just about the communication."
The Bendigo Advertiser asked Bendigo Health about Jess' case and the delay in COVID-19 test results being returned.
"The recent testing blitz which saw high volumes of testing being done across the state increased the waiting time for test results," a hospital spokesperson said.
"Our most recent advice is that the laboratories are still seeing high demand but have cleared the backlog and improved their turnaround to about 48 to 72 hours for urgent tests."
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