MILWAUKEE — Just like the days leading up to Christmas, COVID-19 testing sites across Wisconsin saw long lines Monday morning.

It was a post-holiday rush at Milwaukee’s Southside Health Center, where a line of cars formed before the drive-thru testing and vaccine clinic opened at 9 a.m. Monse Padierna and two friends waited almost two hours for a COVID-19 test.

“We’ve been trying everywhere,” Padierna said. “It seems like everywhere there’s just lines like crazy like this.”

Padierna spent Christmas apart from her family after a close friend tested positive just before the holiday.

At Milwaukee’s three community clinics, many workers who had spent weeks administering vaccines have switched to the testing side of the tents to keep up during Wisconsin’s latest surge fueled by the Omicron variant. Milwaukee Health Department Preparedness Coordinator Dr. Nick Tomaro said he hopes long lines will not deter people from testing.

“We understand and are empathetic to how fatigued people are with all of this,” Tomaro said. “We understand everyone is. It doesn’t change the reality of the virus. It doesn’t change the reality we’re facing.”

As demand for tests increases, the percentage of positive results in Milwaukee has increased, as well. Testing and vaccinations remain key critical elements of pandemic response as the city and state deal with this latest surge of COVID-19 cases.

“We’re heading into one of the toughest periods we’ve had within the pandemic,” Tomaro said. “It’s really important to take it seriously. Masking, I would say, is more important than ever at this point.”

For those seeking a COVID-19 test at the end of 2021, patience could also prove more important than ever.

Milwaukee’s community testing and vaccination clinics will close from Friday through Sunday for the New Year’s holiday.