NEW ORLEANS – Driving up.

Lining up.

Showing up to get a coronavirus test has become a way of life.

And now as the number of cases increases, the whole process of getting the test takes more time.

Michele Vanderbrook at NOLA Discount Pharmacy says, “the tests are getting harder to get because so many people are getting tested because of having symptoms.”

She’s not surprised to hear stories from people who wait a week or more to get results from their coronavirus tests.

She says, “I could see that if so many people are getting tests, if labs get backed up, it will take time so I can see that.”

Dr. Jennifer Avegno, head of the New Orleans Health Department says, “this is something that is happening throughout the country and it may affect our community based testing sites.”

In Metairie at Majoria Drugs, pharmacist Al Spitale knows himself the pain of pandemic.

He says, “I have personally been tested three times, the second time I was supposed to get the results in 48 hours, but there was a backlog at the lab.”

Waiting for your coronavirus test results to arrive, WGNO’s Bill Wood says you may need a prescription for patience.