Holiday Travel: Where To Find A COVID-19 Test In New Berlin

NEW BERLIN, WI — If you're traveling to and from New Berlin for Christmas and the holidays, or have relatives visiting, you may be looking for a site to get tested for COVID-19 to stay safe over the weekend.

In its holiday guidance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said those joining gatherings with multiple households should take additional measures like getting tested and avoiding crowded indoor places before traveling.

The CDC also cautions anyone who tested positive for COVID-19 should not travel until they end isolation. More advice from the CDC on traveling can be found on the agency's website.

For anyone who may be sick or has symptoms, the message is to stay home and away from others. They should also get tested for the virus as should anyone who may have been in close contact with a person who has COVID-19, the agency says.

The number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Wisconsin sharply increased in early December, and the Department of Health Services urged people to get vaccinated as omicron variant cases and Christmas family gatherings both draw closer.

The omicron variant, a recently discovered coronavirus mutation with potential to be highly transmissible, was discovered in Wisconsin on Dec. 4. Health experts say they're waiting to see how transmissible the new variant is, the severity of its illness and how effective vaccines will hold against it.

One Wisconsin hospital, SSM Health Monroe Hospital, has about 50 percent more patients than what the staff is meant to manage, hospital president Jane Curran-Meuli told WISC-TV. "Our ICU is 2-3 times higher to what we're staffed to, and there's no more staff," she said.

Health officials said most of the virus patients entering hospital and ICU beds in Wisconsin aren't fully vaccinated and urge people to get the shot before traveling.

Where To Find COVID-19 Testing Near New Berlin

City of Milwaukee Testing Clinics

The City of Milwaukee has several free drive-thru and walk-up community COVID-19 testing sites for anyone 12-months or older, regardless of symptoms. The sites will be closed Dec. 24-26 and Dec. 31-Jan. 2.

• Northwest Health Center
  7630 West Mill Road
  Drive-thru garage with entry at the Mill Road Library, 6431 North 76th Street
  Monday and Friday: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.Tuesday and Thursday: 12-6 p.m.
  Saturday: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

• Southside Health Center
  1639 South 23rd Street
  Drive-thru heated tent, entry on 24th Street
  Monday and Friday: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
  Tuesday and Thursday: 12-6 p.m.
  Saturday: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

• Menomonee Valley Site
  2401 West St. Paul Avenue
  Drive-thru garage
  Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: 12-6 p.m.
  Tuesday and Thursday: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

More information about City of Milwaukee testing sites is available online.

Summit Clinical Laboratories

Summit hosts COVID-19 testing clinics at locations across the Milwaukee area. Many locations may be closed on certain days during the holiday season.

The closest locations to New Berlin include 15480 Beloit Road in New Berlin and 7352 West Rawson Avenue in Franklin.

Call Summit ahead of a visit at 262-788-9311. Summit is closed on Dec. 25 and 26. For more hours visit their website.

Do-It-Yourself With A Pharmacy Kit

Places like Walgreens, CVS and Pick 'n Save have limited appointments for tests and a limited supply of over-the-counter tests that can be taken at home. In addition to that, many pharmacies are limiting the number of tests each customer can buy.

Still, take-home tests may be available at your local pharmacy, and it's always a good idea to call ahead and check.

State health services offer an entire database for community testing sites, and can be another option as they mail an at-home collection kit straight to your home.

The following are the state health-service guidelines on at-home rapid COVID-19 test results.

• Positive test results mean that you are likely infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. People who test positive should stay home or isolate for 10 days and avoid gathering with people outside of the household.
• Negative test results mean that you are likely not infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, but false negatives are possible. State health services say to consider testing again a day or two later, and tests at least 24 hours apart increase confidence in the results.
• Contact your healthcare provider or a community testing site if you have trouble understanding the results or are concerned with the accuracy of the result.

Patch Editor Ethan Duran contributed to this report.