As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, so has the demand to get tested in Brownsville, forcing clinics to reopen their mass testing sites in order to accommodate the increasing numbers of people seeking to get tested including children who recently returned to school.

Doctor of Medical Sciences Eder Hernandez, who ran the first mass testing site in Brownsville, said he started seeing an increase in demand for testing at the beginning of August. Now, with mandatory in-person classes, he said about 30 percent of residents getting tested are children who are back in school and the cases continue to rise.

Hernandez said he receives requests to test about 150 people a day who have either been in contact with someone who has coronavirus or have COVID-19 symptoms. But this time he is facing another problem; children who have been tested but have yet to receive the results continue to go to school.

“We are seeing people who have symptoms, they get the rapid test and are told to go home and quarantine until we have the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) results back in 24 to 48 hours,” Hernandez said.

A view of an H-E-B COVID-19 vaccination banner in Brownsville. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)

“But when we call them because they tested positive they are at BISD (Brownsville Independent School District,) IDEA Schools and the parents, I told them that they were supposed to stay home and quarantine until we get the results back, but they don’t do it. It is a big problem that we are having,” he said.

Hernandez said he advises parents to keep their children at home if they have symptoms, even if the rapid test result is negative while they wait for the PCR results.

“If you’re positive, you do 10 days of isolation. But if you’re not positive and have symptoms, we can still ask you to stay home for 10 days,” he said. “But they’re not doing that. They’re going back to school. Maybe the parents have to work and still send them to school but it has happened a lot that we called them and the children are at school and are COVID-19 positive.”

Motorist drive-up to receive a COVID-19 test Thursday at the Brownsville Sports Park. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)

Hernandez offers COVID-19 testing from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at 2534 Boca Chica Blvd No.7. The testing is at no cost to the patient and those uninsured qualify for free testing with a valid ID. For more information, call the clinic at (956) 546-2000.

The City of Brownsville continues to offer free COVID-19 testing for people with symptoms or who have been exposed to the virus. The city’s testing is from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Tuesday to Saturday at the Brownsville Sports Park with a valid ID.

Brownsville motorist view a COVID-19 testing banner Thursday afternoon. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)

The city said regardless of vaccination status those who have symptoms or have been exposed to COVID-19 should get tested. For more information, visit btxcares.com.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley continues to offer COVID-19 testing on campus free for students, staff and faculty and for a fee for community members. They are also providing the COVID-19 vaccine for everyone with an ID. For more information, visit uthealthrgv.org.

Walgreens also offers free COVID-19 drive-thru testing at its clinics for ages 3 and up. For more information, visit walgreens.com.