Milwaukee Christmas COVID test lines long
MILWAUKEE - This holiday season is ushering in what’s expected to be some of the busiest travel times since the start of the pandemic, but as many across the country get ready to see family, about 7,800 people a day are being admitted to the hospital for COVID.
"It’s clear to everyone that cases are really rising," said Dr. Dan Shirley, UW Health.
As COVID cases climb, lines for testing grow longer.
"It’s definitely different now than it was a few weeks ago even," said Shirley.
"Around an hour and a half at this point," said Bradley Robertson, waiting for a test.
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For many, it's another stop on top of the usual holiday travel.
"My grandmother is 85," said Robertson. "My wife’s mother is 75, so we’re just trying to make sure that if we are positive, we’re going to limit contact to our family."
Whether you travel by road or in the sky, doctors warn against gatherings that leave too much in the air.
"It really is that uncertainness of going to a place that is a big gathering with the whole situation that you don’t know about: masking, spacing ventilation," said Shirley.
We all know to layer up before leaving the house this time of year. That goes for COVID protections now, too, including testing.
"I think the layered approach to some precautions and trying to limit large gatherings as much as possible is good," said Shirley.
Shirley said if you can find one, at-home rapid tests are great if you want to be extra safe.
"Obviously, if you’re going to a family holiday gathering, these are people that you care about," he said.
Especially if you have symptoms, PCR tests like those done at testing sites are the way to go.
"I feel fine," said Robertson. "I have no symptoms. My wife has no symptoms, but just, we’d rather just be safe than sorry."
Dr. Shirley said it’s not too late to get a booster shot, noting that the immunity boost can come on within a week or so.
The Milwaukee Health Department will have modified hours for COVID-19 services during the upcoming holidays.
The COVID-19 services – including testing and vaccinations – at the Northwest Health Center, Southside Health Center and Menomonee Valley Site will be closed Friday, Dec. 24 through Sunday, Dec. 26. Regular hours will resume on Monday, Dec. 27.
Clinic services will again be unavailable starting Friday, Dec. 31 through Sunday, Jan. 2. Regular hours will resume on Monday, Jan. 3.
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