BROOKFIELD, Wis.— The latest increase in COVID-19 cases put testing on top of more people’s minds, all while keeping local labs busy.

Molly Gena took herself and her two kids to Summit Clinical Laboratories testing site in Brookfield to get tested. 

“I think it’s very important to get tested. The COVID-19 numbers seem to be going up a little bit in the city of Milwaukee and I have two small children and it’s important that we all stay protected and protect our community as well,” said Gena.

With COVID-19 cases rising again, Gena decided to get the PCR test.

She said she has done at home tests in the past, but this time she wanted a more reliable result.

“I always feel more comfortable knowing that a professional is doing it and I’m not trying to swab my 2-year-old’s nose,” said Gena.

Their samples were then taken to the Summit Clinical Laboratories on the other side of Brookfield to be processed. Faisal Ahmed-Yahia, the company’s co-owner, said they have seen a noticeable increase in activity within the last month.

“We were seeing positive rates about 4% on average on daily rates. Now we are up to 14%. We were running about 400-500 samples about a month ago and now we are back up to a 1,000,” said Ahmed-Yahia.

Despite that uptick, Ahmed-Yahia felt their operation has no problem getting someone their result within 24 hours.

“I think the biggest value of a PCR test would be the fast turnaround time. It doesn’t do much good if you are getting a test and three days later you find out you are positive,” said Gena.

In the meantime, Gena patiently waited for her family’s results.

“It’s been hard to do this for two years and I’m hoping we just have colds, but we are okay,” said Gena.

What worried Gena is that her son is too young to get vaccinated, but she said she will do all she can to continue to protect her family. She said right now, she believes getting tested is still important to control the spread.