Colorado’s first drive-up coronavirus testing lab in east Denver will not conduct any tests on Friday, as initially planned, due to snowy weather. 

If weather permits, the site will reopen from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Only the first 100 to 150 people in line will be tested. 

State health officials had planned to operate the center on Friday with limited capacity due to the “overwhelming response” it received in the first two days.

The testing lab in Denver collected tests for more than 650 people the first two days it was open this week, according to state health officials.

“The results of these tests … will give the state much needed epidemiological intelligence that is critical for policy decisions,” the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said in a news release.

Scott Bookman, the director of lab services for CDPHE, said in an interview with 9News on Thursday  that the state must shift its focus on aggressive social distancing and readying hospitals for a surge of patients.

“We needed testing months ago,” Bookman said. “But that time has passed.”

Still, the health department is suggesting that anyone who is symptomatic or may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus to seek testing from private providers after consulting with their physician and obtaining a doctor’s order for testing.

State health officials are also urging people to “always call first” before reporting a health care facility for testing.

“Any medical provider with a relationship with Labcorp or Qwest can send out the test,” health officials said, “but be sure to contact your provider ahead of time because many providers have centralized sites for collection due to safety precautions.”

On Thursday, people waiting to be tested at the drive-thru lab, which is located at 8100 E. Lowry Blvd., were experiencing wait times between three and four hours. Because of the “extremely high volume” of people, state health officials began turning people away around 1 p.m.

The state health department initially said in a news release that people who were cut off Thursday will be given a note ensuring they “have priority” on Friday. But about two hours later, the agency said it was not able to provide notes for people to get priority testing “due to safety concerns over the volume of traffic near the drive-in community testing site.”    

Gov. Jared Polis announced on Friday there are now 72 positive cases of coronavirus in Colorado, including eight people who are hospitalized and three who are in critical condition. 

He also said there is evidence that the coronavirus is spreading in the Denver area, although he said that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

The state health department plans to continue providing case updates daily at noon and 5 p.m., the agency said on Twitter.