Montgomery County's Department of Health & Human Services tells 7News it has seen thousands of more people getting tested for COVID-19 in recent weeks.

Health officials have their theories as to why that is but are not entirely sure. Those theories include the delta variant, kids returning to in-person learning, and people traveling more.

Last week, around 40,000 people were tested for COVID in Montgomery County. That is 22 percent more than the week before and 68 percent more than the first week of August, county officials shared.

At the peak of the pandemic, Montgomery County recorded around 60,000 tests per week. That figure shrunk in the spring and early summer as more people got vaccinated but has gradually grown back in size over the last few months.

“We did around 5,500 tests last week for the county-run testing sites," said Kimberly Townsend, a senior administrator with Montgomery County's Department of Health & Human Services. "Throughout the entire county, including all providers, we did about 40,000.”

Despite the increased interest in COVID testing, Montgomery County officials do not believe they need to add more test sites at this time.

“I don’t have any symptoms or anything," Silver Spring resident Michael Shereikis told 7News while waiting to be tested Friday afternoon at the Dennis Avenue Health Center in Silver Spring.

Shereikis explained that due diligence led him to introduce a swab to his nostrils.

“This is my first one, actually. I’ve been very careful. I haven’t flown anywhere. I’ve been staying at home, distancing, all of that good stuff. I haven’t had one. People in my household have. So, I sort of send them out as the canaries in our coal mine," Shereikis said with a chuckle.

Montgomery County Government currently operates three testing sites in Germantown, Rockville, and Silver Spring. Those three COVID testing centers are open seven days a week from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Testing is free and walk-ins are accepted, but the county requests that people sign up online.