Wisconsin has seen a drop in COVID-19 testing, health officials hope to reverse trend

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) --  Friday, Sept. 4 was still the first round of COVID-19 testing for some Wisconsin families.

“All the kids hang out, and they just started school, so you know, just get them tested,” Nicholas Moen said after finishing the testing process at the UMOS site in Milwaukee.

Others have taken multiple tests, and say wait times have gotten shorter.

“I think we came here two months ago, and we had to fill out a paper," Lizandro Ramirez said. "It took a while, but I think it got better now.”

“Today was a little bit longer because it was a longer line, but I’ve gone other times when I was in and out in 10 minutes,” Brendan Fox said.

Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm said demand for testing has fallen in Wisconsin and nationwide this past month, and that makes it harder for them to make accurate plans for the population.

“That positive result is how we know the next steps we need to take, and so, getting tested is a critical first step to doing that,” Palm said.

Health officials say the state is not hitting its current testing capacity, but they worry that will soon change, as more people develop symptoms of COVID-19 in the fall.

“Flu and cold season always comes in the fall, so the number of people with symptoms that could represent COVID-19 is expected to get a lot higher,” Dr. Ryan Westergaard said.