MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - With Thanksgiving just two days away, some South Florida COVID-19 testing sites are seeing long lines of people waiting to get tested.
On Tuesday, lines could be seen wrapped around sites as South Floridians are rushing to get their test results back before spending time with family members.
It is a similar scene at testing sites across the country as the U.S. continues to see a rise in COVID-19 cases.
At 12 p.m., the wait time at Hard Rock Stadium’s test site was estimated to be 60 to 90 minutes.
Those who get tested at the Hard Rock Stadium can expect their results within one or two days, depending on which COVID-19 test was conducted.
Officials at the site advise those who are getting tested to pre-register online, which helps move the line faster.
7SkyForce HD hovered over Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale where cars could be seen in a long line stretching across the park.
The wait time at the Holiday Park testing site was approximately four hours and by 10 a.m., a sign outside the site read that testing was at capacity for the day.
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams is sounding the alarm and issuing an urgent warning to all Americans ahead of the holiday.
“Forty states are seeing cases go up, and those cases are turning into hospitalizations and deaths. You may not be able to go in and get your heart attack treated. I’ve heard hospitals are not being able to provide care for pregnant women because they’re filled with COVID beds, so that’s the reality,” he said.
Adams offers advice for Americans trying to celebrate the holiday safely.
“Separation, make sure you’re setting up to maintain six feet of social distance,” he said. “Limiting your number of guests ideally to less than 10 and then ventilation: outside is better than inside.”
Meanwhile, local leaders are doing everything they can to avoid the dire scenario in South Florida while the countdown to Turkey Day continues.
“I know how hard this year has been for all of us. I know especially after these long difficult months, it’s even more challenging not to enjoy the holiday celebrations we want to enjoy and are so familiar with,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “We can’t let our guard down.”
During a virtual event Tuesday, Cava introduced the county’s new chief medical officer, Dr. Peter Paige, as FDOH reported 8,500 new COVID-19 cases statewide. Paige pushed everyone in South Florida not to let their guard down going into the holiday weekend.
“The numbers are increasing, it’s rising concern for the county and for our cities. It’s time we take a little more aggressive action to try to minimize the risk of this devastating virus going forward,” said Paige.
The reminder comes as the state’s death toll tops 18,000, but there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon just in time for the holidays.
Last Friday, Pfizer submitted data on its COVID-19 vaccine to the FDA for an emergency-use authorization, and if it gets a green light, officials said they could be distributed in just a few weeks.
“As many of you know, the FDA has said it will consult with its independent vaccine advisory board before making a decision on emergency-use authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine. And they have now scheduled a meeting for Dec. 10. If all goes well, we could be distributing the vaccine soon after Dec. 10,” said Department of Health Secretary Alex Azar.
When the vaccine is ready, Memorial Regional Hospital and Jackson Memorial Hospital will be among the first to receive it.
7News got a glimpse of where the vaccine will go once it arrives in South Florida.
Jackson Health showed off the special freezers needed to store the vaccines at temperatures below -70 degrees Celsius.
“We’re selected because of the number of cases we have had of COVID-19 and for our ability to get a large number of vaccines to quite a few employees and eventually to the patients of our community,” said chief pharmacy officer Venessa Goodnow. “With this ability for us to vaccinate and have protection against COVID-19, it would allow us to start looking forward.”
But officials say it’s still unclear how much they’ll get.
“The state of Florida will probably get about 2 million of those doses for a million people. That being the case, we could see as many as 100,000. I don’t want to say that’s the number we’re gonna receive, I’m saying that’s what we could see. We really won’t know until we get closer to those dates as to the actual number we’ll see,” said Jackson Health president and CEO Carlos Migoya.
The director of the CDC said once the vaccine is ready, it will be given to those who need it the most first, such as nursing home residents and healthcare workers on the frontlines.
The Hard Rock Stadium testing site will be closed on Thanksgiving but will reopen on Friday.
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