"Too many people" were turned away from testing clinics in Albury yesterday, Farrer MP Sussan Ley says.
Significant demand was experienced at testing sites run by multiple providers in Albury and Lavington, and Albury Wodonga Health sites reached capacity before midday.
Ms Ley said she had spoken to the Murrumbidgee Local Health District "about the need to immediately increase hours of operation and testing capacity".
"Being told to get tested, then told to go home, is not really acceptable - a situation I am taking up with the NSW government," she said.
In response to the increased COVID testing demand, Murrumbidgee Local Health District will open an additional public testing facility from tomorrow at the Lavington Sports Ground.
An Albury Wodonga Health spokeswoman said during busy times at their testing sites, people may be advised that clinics have reached capacity for the day.
"In this instance, people should isolate and attend testing again the following day," she said.
"We understand this is inconvenient, but will avoid people unnecessarily queuing.
"We are evaluating testing facilities and resourcing needs, taking into account the range of testing options available in and around Wodonga."
The rising number of cases and exposure sites has not increased consideration of a lockdown.
Albury MP Justin Clancy said he was in touch with health authorities and they were working together to monitor the situation, but said "it's not their intention to go into lockdown".
"And in that sense we are at that stage in the roadmap where the importance lies with the vaccination and we continue to need to drive that forward," he said.
Mr Clancy said the rules allowing only fully vaccinated people into certain venues were working to limit the spread of the virus.
"You've got to be double vaccinated to go to restaurants and clubs and pubs, so it is effectively creating stay at home conditions for those who are unvaccinated," he said.
MLHD medical services executive director Len Bruce said after spending 18 months counting cases, "we are going to have to move past that now".
"Living with COVID means that there will be COVID cases in the community," he said.
"Our responsibility is to look after our community ... preventing people from becoming severely unwell.
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"Vaccination is obviously the best tool for us.
"The facts are as follows: if you're fully vaccinated, your risk of being hospitalised with COVID is four in 100,000.
"So it means that in the Murrumbidgee (district) if we can vaccinate 200,000 of our population, we will only have eight people in hospital, which is about a third of the capacity of the COVID ward."
