A loophole in the New York state Department of Health’s scheduling system for COVID-19 testing is to blame for longer-than-usual wait times at a rapid testing site in Chautauqua County.

Some residents who signed up to be tested for the coronavirus at the Murphy Training Center in Dunkirk reported waiting for as long as three hours to receive their results. The county’s rapid testing machines typically report a positive or negative result in approximately 15 minutes.

County Executive PJ Wendel said the loophole allowed one person to schedule a time, but bring 50 people with them to the site.

“One person was able to sign in for themselves, but also were allowed to bring 50 people with them to get tested,” Wendel said Thursday. “It’s reportedly been corrected, but that’s a glitch in the system.”

That led to a logjam delaying others in receiving their results. Wendel said that public health director Christine Schuyler and her staff moved to “swiftly” correct the issue.

“I don’t know how they did it, but those people all physically showed up,” Wendel said. “When you think that 50 people showed up unexpectedly, that’s frustrating and even though it’s beyond our control, we apologize deeply to those who had to wait.”

Wendel did report that a testing site on Thursday in Jamestown at Taylor Training Center on Harrison Street was operating “smoothly” and that any issue had seemed to be resolved.

Registration opens on Monday, Dec. 14 at 9 a.m. for rapid testing at the Murphy Training Center on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Registration also opens at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 16 to receive a rapid test at the Taylor Training Center on Dec. 17. Registration links will be available on the county Health Department’s website.