Long Beach said it tested 2,500 people for COVID-19 on Friday—shattering the previous record of 1,900 tests in a day. And those landmark numbers arrive as a higher-and-higher percentage of those tests are coming back positive.

Just two weeks ago, 3% of the tests in Long Beach were coming back positive, officials said today. Now, it’s 5.8%.

These metrics, along with increased hospitalizations, indicate the current surge in coronavirus cases is worse now than it was earlier this year, according to the city.

“What this data tells you is that these are serious,” Mayor Robert Garcia said in a briefing Monday.

Health and Human Services Director Kelly Colopy said people between 25-49 are driving the rise in the positivity rate.

Officials have begged people to stop mingling with those outside of their households. Many doing so without masks has already prompted restrictions on restaurants and bars, which will only be allowed to offer take-out and deliver starting Wednesday.

Thanksgiving also could be driving the new demand for testing. Officials say many people are getting screened with hopes of taking a smaller risk when gathering. But a negative test doesn’t make it safe to gather, as officials repeatedly tell the public.

Despite the new testing demand, Colopy said the city is prepared.

“We do have capacity and the ability to expand and meet the need,” she said, anticipating the testing appointments to continue surging.

At this time, there are no test shortages. The city will continue to have an appointment availability of three days from the day you book your appointment, and the test result turnaround will still be 48 hours, she said.

To schedule a COVID-19 test, visit the city’s website or call 562-570-INFO (4636).