NJ Residents Are Spending Hours Waiting In COVID Testing Lines

COVID-19 tests are hottest items on the market right now, as New Jersey residents are spending chunks of their days waiting in lines -- some as many as nine hours.

The line trails down Union Avenue in Passaic for a test at MedRite Urgent Care.
Photo Credit: *Special to Daily Voice*

Drive-thru test site in Newark, Dec. 22.
Photo Credit: *Jackelyne Matsuo*

Cecilia Levine

12/22/2021 2:54 p.m.

Jackelyne Matsuo hopped in line at the MedRite in Paramus Wednesday morning and received a PCR test after two hours.

She wanted a rapid test, though -- and MediRite was only offering one or the other -- so she headed to Newark's Lincoln Park and Broad Street drive-thru testing site.

There, she spent another two hours waiting for the rapid test.

"The line was wrapping behind the building in Paramus," she said. "It's insane everywhere."

Omicron is quickly becoming the dominant strain of COVID-19, renewing the surge across the region. Experts say the new variant is highly transmittable but very mild compared to Alpha and Delta.

Daily Voice's Instagram followers reported the following wait times:

9 hours at MD Urgent Care in Union
5 hours at Urgent Care in Midland Park
1.5 hours at Know Now in Teaneck
4 hours at MyDoc in Garfield
6 hours at Prompt MD in Weehawken
2 hours at MedRite in Springfield
2.5 hours at PM Pediatrics in Livingston

People lined up outside of Clifton's CityMD location at 6:15 a.m., nearly two hours before doors opened. Lines also trailed down Union Avenue in Passaic for a test at MedRite Urgent Care.

Have photos or input? Email clevine@dailyvoice.com

Click here to follow Daily Voice Jersey City and receive free news updates.