Waiting On COVID Results? They Could Already Be Live On The NSW Pathology Website
"I had a Covid test on Thursday evening and got my results on Saturday afternoon, about four hours before NSW Health sent me a text with the negative result."
As the Omicron variant continues to spread throughout New South Wales, more people are lining up for COVID tests and, subsequently, results are taking longer to process. But thankfully, there’s a cheeky life hack that could help you get your results faster.
For the better part of the last two years, we have had our brains and uvulas tickled with q-tips at a COVID testing site, then spent the next 24-48 hours at home, desperately awaiting that text from NSW Pathology as if it were a message from your crush. But it turns out, you don’t always actually need to wait for the text to get your results.
In NSW, you can access your COVID test results via SMS — as most people do — or through the NSW Pathology results portal.
“Our new Results Portal lets you securely access your result – whether positive or negative. You can also share a copy of your personal result report that has a unique QR code with authorised third parties. This could be your employer, school, airline or others,” NSW Pathology says on its website.
Many social media users have reported that their results have been available via the portal before they received a text from NSW Pathology.
PSA for everyone stressing about Covid test results in NSW. You can access them through this NSW Health portal and they’re generally on here before they are SMSed https://t.co/nBaO5sm7jP
— Bridie Jabour (@bkjabour) December 17, 2021
“I had a COVID test on Thursday evening and got my results on Saturday afternoon, about four hours before NSW Health sent me a text with the negative result,” one person told The Daily Mail.
You can register for the online results portal via the NSW Health website, which allows you to share your results with your employer and/or school.
Unfortunately, the portal is only available to people who have had their test done by NSW Health Pathology — and not by a third party, which includes private pathology clinics needed before overseas travel and a number of drive-thru testing clinics.
Additionally, if you register with Service NSW and link your accounts, your results will be pushed through to your Services NSW app. This function is only available if you’ve had your test done at a NSW public hospital clinic, not a private pathology clinic.
Some social media users have claimed their results were available in-app prior to receiving the text.
Due to the current Omicron outbreak across New South Wales, COVID test results may currently take up to 72 hours.
NSW Pathology confirmed that everyone who get tested at a NSW Health Pathology-managed clinic gets a flyer explaining the online portal, which is not designed to be quicker, but may end up providing results earlier.
“With record testing numbers and the way our automated reporting system works there is a chance some people may get their official results notification through the Portal, ahead of their SMS,” a spokesperson told Junkee.
“This is not a guarantee and the Results Portal has not been designed to provide faster results.”
NSW Health Pathology stressed that security and the ability to download and share results is the main benefit of the Results Portal.
“It is a convenient, secure enhancement of our SMS service and was developed based on community feedback. It provides a record of results that can be downloaded and shared with third parties such as employers or schools who require verification.”
“The Results Portal is only available to people tested by NSW Health Pathology not by private providers, who are currently doing the majority of testing.”