GREEN BAY, Wis (NBC 26) -- Four COVID-19 testing sites in Brown county are now open to anyone who wants a test, whether you have symptoms related to the virus or not. Some public health leaders say that the open-door approach for more testing could make a difference in how public health is capable of slowing the rise of COVID-19 cases across the region.
On Thursday Wisconsin's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ryan Westergaard, shared some insight as to how Wisconsin has, in part, become a hotbed for the COVID-19 virus. He also shared how he doesn't believe those with symptoms, are the root of the problem of the ongoing spread of the virus.
"I think it's very likely that the majority of new cases in the state are the result of transmission from someone that doesn't have symptoms."
New COVID-19 testing sites continue to open up across northeast Wisconsin with testers attempting to identify those with the virus. But for the first time in recent memory, a handful of testing sites in the Green Bay area are now available to anyone to get a test, even those who don't have symptoms.
"A lot of people have the disease and that means a lot of people are spreading it to other people. So, we need to take action and control that spread as best we can," says Dr. Ashok Rai the President and CEO of Prevea who is hosting the test sites.
Dr. Rai has just opened four testing sites in Brown county to everyone wanting to be tested. He says the sites collectively are capable of administering just over 1-thousand free tests a day.
"The percent positivity is so high, the only way we're going to actually get this under control is finding everyone who has it and making sure they are isolating and not spreading it around," says Dr. Rai.
To get the test you'll need to sign up for one at myprevea.com, which only takes a few minutes. After answering a handful of questions you'll be able to choose a date, time, and location to get tested over the course of the next couple of weeks. Results for the tests are said to be processed within two to four days and then available for you to review online.
And while many will get a negative test result following their test, Dr. Rai hopes that those individuals don't interpret that result as a reason to not take the threat of the virus's spread seriously.
"A negative test is not a free pass and we worry about that. A negative test here is just helping us get this community surveillance. It's really the positive tests that we're looking for so we can isolate those people."
Check out the link here, to find out how to sign up for the free test over the next couple of weeks.
