Winnipeg test site closes for the day after someone drives into overhead door, unrelated malfunction

A drive-thru COVID-19 test site in Winnipeg has closed for the day after someone accidentally drove their vehicle into one of the site's overhead doors and an unrelated malfunction happened with the other entrance.

In an emailed statement Friday afternoon, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority apologized for the "truly unfortunate events"at the north Main Street Manitoba Public Insurance building.

No injuries were reported in connection with either incident, it said.

People who go to that site for testing on Friday will be directed to other sites in the city, while staff from the site at 1284 Main St. are also being redeployed to other sites.

The health authority said it will provide an update once further information is available when the Main Street test site might reopen.

A full list of test sites open in Winnipeg is available online.

Manitoba's COVID-19 testing capacity is already overwhelmed, as demands on the system and related wait times for swabs and results have created a backlog of more than 10,000 samples, Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin said at a news conference held earlier Friday.

Because of those factors, the record-breaking 742 new cases the province announced on Friday is actually an underestimate, Roussin said.