'We're at a breaking point': Metro Detroit COVID-19 testing sites short-staffed as workers catch virus

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - As more people line up for COVID-19 tests this holiday season, testing sites are short-staffed because employees have caught the same virus they are testing for.

"This demand has been overwhelming," said Dr. Manish Kesliker, the medical director at Emcura Urgent Care. "We're at a breaking point."

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Kesliker said Emcura's Bloomfield Township location usually have 5-7 workers swabbing people each day. On Sunday, there were two people working.

"Most individuals have now developed omicron themselves, not from testing but from social gatherings. It was the holidays and people got together," he said. "And then there’s occupational exposures that will be an issue all along."

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Kesliker said this shortage is preventing the urgent care, which also has a Northville Township location, from testing as many people as it wants to.

Emcura was forced to close early on Christmas Eve, and it has limited its hours.

"When we aren't having adequate staffing, we can’t move at the efficiency or the rate we would like to," said Shelby Bach, a physician assistant at Emcura.

VIEW: Where to get a COVID-19 test in Metro Detroit

Bach also noted that Emcura is seeing an increase in positive Covid cases and urged people to follow safety protocols to help prevent the spread of the virus.

"Our positive rate was increasing from 0-15% to 25-30%, which is just a huge jump in the positive rate," Bach said.