Labs reach maximum capacity for coronavirus tests, GGD warns waiting times are increasing

Last week, GGD conducted a record 950,000 coronavirus tests at various testing sites in the country. It was also busy in our area. Long queues formed in various places, such as the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht.

And the climax isn’t over yet: This morning the GGD phone number for test appointments was called 390,000 times. Last week, meanwhile, the counter was still at 80,000. GGD has already posted more people to answer all calls.

But labs can’t process any more tests than they actually do. It has a maximum capacity of 150,000 test samples per day, and this limit has been reached. GGD says appointments can no longer be scheduled immediately, which means you have to wait a little longer if you want to take the test.

This weekend, there should be more room: commercial service providers will then help GGDs. These are the testers affiliated with the Open Netherlands Foundation. These providers use an antigen test that has been approved by the RIVM.

It is not yet clear how many additional tests can be performed with the help of these commercial providers. The Open Netherlands Foundation decides which sites you would like to participate in and which are appropriate. “Because you will be doing risk-focused testing, on people who are showing symptoms and not on people who want to spend a night out, the location needs to be larger. The entrance and exit should be separated from each other. In addition, the test providers should be Being connected to the GGD appointment portal, privacy must be properly arranged,” the spokesperson explains.