First day of "surge testing" at UW-Whitewater draws 260 participants

November 09, 2020

About 260 community members, including families with elementary school-aged children to teenagers, came to the Kris Russell Volleyball Arena for the first day of COVID-19 “surge testing” at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Testing staff on site were separated by plexiglass and wore gloves, protective gowns and face shields. After visitors checked in, the testers instructed them on how to insert a swab into both nostrils, for about five seconds in each nostril, to collect a sample and then hand the swab back to the tester, who captured it for processing.

Parents were first handed swabs to test themselves and then additional swabs to collect samples from their children.

Knowing and not guessing brings peace of mind, according to Mike Kilar of Whitewater, who brought his children Angel and Kindyl. Angel smiled as he removed the swab from his nose, as if experiencing a tickle.

“One of my daughters and my wife work in the school district,” Kilar said. “We just wanted to make sure where we stood and if we were testing positive or negative.”

As people arrived and were tested through Monday morning and into the afternoon, the process was flowing smoothly, with brief waits in line or no waiting at all.

Brianna Tillett, a UW-Milwaukee student who came home to Whitewater to visit her parents, wanted to get tested before she went back on campus.

“I just wanted to be extra careful because I know that numbers are going up,” she said.

The new testing site at UW-Whitewater is a direct response to the surge of coronavirus cases across Wisconsin.

“At UW-Whitewater, we’re ready to do our part to combat the spread of COVID-19 in our region during this public health crisis. Our partnership with the University of Wisconsin System and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will allow us to conduct thousands of tests right here on campus, providing critical health information to people so that they can act appropriately and keep their families, friends and fellow community members safe,” said Chancellor Dwight C. Watson.

“I want to extend my thanks and appreciation to all of the employees who have made this COVID-19 testing site a reality. Over the past week, they have adjusted their workloads and pivoted quickly to meet the community need for a robust testing program.”

After a short wait in line and then moving through a testing station in about five minutes, Christina Schwab, UW-Whitewater head women’s wheelchair basketball coach, said, “It was pretty easy.”

“With the wheelchair basketball program, we are testing so that we can practice in some capacity. Since I’m making my athletes do it, I want to make sure that I’m doing it as well. And then also just for the safety of my family at home, too. My (college) background is in community health so I also think about the bigger picture and how this can affect, not just campus, but when I go home and my kids go to school in a different district. And so the big picture is what I think about.”

Testing Information

The testing site is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, at the Kris Russell Volleyball Arena in the Williams Center, 907 W. Schwager Dr., Whitewater, WI 53190. Free parking is available in lots 7 and 9 on Warhawk Drive. Please note, during Thanksgiving week, testing will be offered Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday only (Nov. 23-25), 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Anyone 5 years and older can get a test. Pre-registration is required at doineedacovid19test.com. This is a rapid antigen test (nasal swab). People will receive their results within 15 minutes; space is set aside for people to safely distance while they wait.

Individuals who test negative using the rapid antigen test, but also are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, or who test positive but do not have symptoms, are urged to get a confirmatory PCR test. A free PCR test will be available immediately to those who qualify on site.

The “surge testing” program complements an already existing partnership between UW-Whitewater, UW System and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to regularly test university students, which began earlier this semester. UW-Whitewater students will continue to get their COVID-19 tests through University Health and Counseling Services at Ambrose Health Center on Starin Road by making an appointment at uww.edu/uhcs.

For more information on COVID-19 testing at UW-Whitewater, visit uww.edu/warhawks-return/testing.