MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - With Thanksgiving one day away, several South Floridians are heading to COVID-19 testing sites before gathering with loved ones.
On Wednesday, the line of vehicles waiting to get into the Hard Rock Stadium testing site seemed to be the longest since the start of the week.
“The test site at Hard Rock Stadium is closed Thursday for Thanksgiving. However, the state-run test site at the Miami Beach Convention Center will be open part of the day, and that’s the drive-thru part of the site,” said Mike Jachles of the Division of Emergency Management.
At Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale, those who were waiting to get tested experienced a wait time of approximately three hours.
The site was at full capacity by 9 a.m.
High demand for testing comes as the Florida Department of Health reported 8,376 additional cases of COVID-19 in the state on Wednesday.
At last check with testing officials at Hard Rock Stadium, they have tested more than 1,800 individuals.
Meanwhile, 50 hospitals including Jackson Health and Memorial Health joined forces to launch the #MaskUp campaign, urging everyone in the state to stop the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask.
Experts say they cannot stress that enough as we head into the holiday weekend. Just this week alone, FDOH reported over 23,000 new COVID-19 cases, and the death toll climbed well over 18,000 residents.
Gov. Ron DeSantis released a video message Wednesday highlighting major breakthroughs with COVID-19 treatments coming to the Sunshine State.
Now that Pfizer has submitted its vaccine data to the federal government, all eyes are on the FDA ahead of the meeting on Dec. 10. If they give the vaccine a green light, DeSantis said there’s already a plan in place to get it to the most vulnerable as soon as possible.
“I spoke with the top pharmacists at both CVS and Walgreens involving Operation Warp Speed yesterday. They assured me as soon as they have the vaccine in hand, they are ready to deploy it to Florida’s over 4,000 long-term care facilities to begin vaccinating the residents,” DeSantis said. “Our goal will be to provide vaccines to every resident of long-term care facilities throughout the state.”
State-supported COVID-19 testing sites will be closed on Thanksgiving.
In the City of Miami, Marlins Park and Manuel Artime Theater will be closed on Thanksgiving Day while the city’s Mobile Testing Unit service and call center will be closed on Thursday and Friday.
If you need to get tested on Thanksgiving Day, the Miami Beach Convention Center testing site is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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