COVID-19 testing numbers up in Metro Detroit as people prep for holiday gatherings, travel

DETROIT (FOX 2) - More people are getting tested for COVID-19 in recent weeks to prepare for holiday gatherings and travel.

Dr. Bernice Sessa, the regional medical director for Beaumont Urgent Care, said that testing numbers started increasing two weeks ago.

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"If I’m going to look at percentages, estimating on what we’ve done in the past, we have an uptick of 25%," she said. "Every day our volumes are higher than the previous."

Sessa said the increase in people being tested is putting a strain on the urgent cares.

"We are more than stretched thin," she said. "We are very concerned that a lot of our staff and providers are burning out."

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If you do need a COVID-19 test, don't go to an urgent care without calling ahead first because the wait times are long.

"The best bet is to call first because the clinics are so backed up that there is a several hour waiting time and they’re going to see patients who are ill first," Sessa said.