For those Oktoberfesting, wait to get COVID tested

A lot of people getting tested on the UW-La Crosse campus this week.

That might be because the testing center there is closed Friday, and that the school recommended, ahead of the Oktoberfest celebration in town, that people get tested.

An email went out to students and staff extending the mask order on campus through Nov. 26, due to COVID-19 spread being very high in the area, partly due to the Delta variant.

The latest COVID-19 stats from the La Crosse County Health Department show cases still very high — 53 a day over the past wee (Sept. 19-25).

“We are seeing an increase in people getting tested and that’s a good thing,” Paula Silha, the Health Education Manager for La Crosse County, told WIZM. “We also experienced a significant increase in cases, so more people were exposed, as well.”

Silha also had advice for those that are celebrating Oktoberfest this weekend and possibly exposed to the virus because they were at a packed bar or just somewhere with a lot of people.

“COVID-19 incubation can be up to 14 days, and testing is recommended around seven days after exposure,” Silha said. “Unfortunately the National Guard Testing site is closed on Oct. 11, as it’s a holiday and they are not working.”

For those still looking to get vaccinated, it’s incredibly easy to do. Just search here: Vaccines.gov/search.

There are 12 places in the La Crosse area to do so and 26 within a 25-mile radius of La Crosse — a lot of those, you can just walk in.

In Wisconsin, 53.7% of the state’s population is fully vaccinated — 64.4% of those 18 years and older.

In La Crosse, 59.5% of the total population is vaccinated — 68.7% of those 18 years and older.