VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — As friends and family head home after the holidays, COVID-19 cases are going up.
On Christmas Eve, Virginia reported more than 8,600 new cases.
Health officials advise people to get tested after traveling and gathering for the holiday, and they say it's just as important as getting checked for COVID-19 before everyone gets together.
On Sunday, a lot of people took that advice to heart.
"Day after Christmas… I was not expecting this at all," said Taylor Brewer as she waited in the packed Patient First clinic parking lot in Virginia Beach.
"I'm here to get a COVID test. I have certain symptoms, but I just want to double check," said Brewer.
She said when she called to make her appointment, they warned her it would be a long wait because of high demand.
"My wait is probably gonna be about three hours, so this is just the beginning," she told 13News Now on Sunday around 5:00 p.m.
Brewer said everywhere else she called in Hampton Roads and the Outer Banks said the same thing.
"Everywhere else is booked. Everywhere else is taking three to four hours," said Brewer.
Allison Creekmore-Breeden and her son, Aiden, were nearing the end of their three hour wait around 5:00 p.m.
"We’re just trying to get him tested to see if he’s got strep, the flu, COVID, whatever it might be," she said.
Aiden came to the area from out of town for the holidays, and Creekmore-Breeden says they’d rather be safe than sorry.
"Of course everyone wants to see him, everyone wants to spend time with him," she said.
At-home rapid tests are still hard to find.
If you’re looking for a test, Military Circle Mall will reopen for testing on Monday from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. No appointment is required.
You can also make an appointment at Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid or at one of the urgent care clinics in our area.
But if the parking lot at Patient First on Sunday is an indication for the rest of the week, be prepared to wait.