APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – The city of Appleton is continuing the fight against COVID-19 by recommencing all operations at its community testing site located at the city’s former Best Buy location.

City officials announced Friday that in conjunction with the Appleton Health Department and ThedaCare, services at the COVID-19 community testing site, located on 2411 S. Kensington Drive, will resume on Monday, Jan. 10.

“The City of Appleton will continue to support the facility and operations while ThedaCare will provide staff and testing kits,” shared Appleton city officials.

And these testing kits couldn’t have come at a better time.

Recently, with the Omicron variant running rampant, the state has seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. On Thursday, Jan. 6, the Wisconsin DHS confirmed over 11,000 new positive COVID-19 cases in the state and nearly 200 people were hospitalized.

Moreover, with more residents needing to be hospitalized, hospitals are now concerned with hospital bed availability. As of Wednesday, Jan. 5, the DHS reported that 91.5% of hospital beds and 94.8% of ICU beds are in use.

And with bed availability thinning, hospitals are now asking residents to get tested at local community testing sites and help stop the spread.

If you or someone you know may have been near someone who has tested positive for coronavirus, community leaders encourage you to get tested for the virus. To find out current case numbers throughout the state, and the most up-to-date information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, visit Local 5’s coronavirus page.

For more information or to find more COVID-19 testing locations, visit www.doineedacovid19test.com.