DENHAM SPRINGS - A steady stream of people walked into Ochsner's Community COVID testing site in Denham Springs on Saturday.

This week alone, health care workers here tested more than 200 people.

Octavia Holmes, a nurse says that many people getting tested are doing it for a peace of mind after spending Thanksgiving with their families.

"We've been seeing a lot of non-symptomatic patients on their way back in from other states, and they want to make sure they didn't bring anything back necessarily. I think since it's the holiday season we're definitely going to see a lot of that," said Holmes. 

Holmes is encouraging people to get tested right away if they have any coronavirus symptoms. She is urging families who are visiting for the weekend to remain vigilant.   

"People need to be mindful that there are still symptomatic patients, and there are still sick people. The hospitals are getting closer to capacity, so it's definitely not something to take lightly," said Holmes.

Officials say before this most recent spike in cases, they were only testing about 6 to 15 people a day.

"It's definitely been picking up because of the holiday season. We expect testing to happen a lot more now since Christmas is close and people are going to be traveling back and forth," said Holmes. 

She isn't surprised by the high demand for testing, and she expects the trend to continue.

Health officials also want to remind people to follow social-distancing guidelines and to wear a mask as they continue to gather.