ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Days after the initial launch of a mobile coronavirus testing site in Orange County was met by a lower-than-expected turnout, county leaders say a glitch in their phone system may be to blame.
Only 145 COVID-19 tests were administered the day the county opened its first mobile testing site at Jay Blanchard Park, according to Orange County Health Officer Dr. Raul Pino.
Pino said his team was prepared to conduct more than 200 tests per day and the low turnout for people who called to schedule an appointment to be tested on day one sparked concern.
After receiving a number of calls from members of the community, Pino said county officials realized there may have been an issue with their phone system providing Spanish-speaking callers with a message that had inaccurate information, which could have impacted the number of people able to schedule an appointment to be tested.
Pino said his team doesn’t manage the phone system themselves and, therefore, had to contact the company with which they’re contracted to see if there was an issue. He said it appears old messages were playing when residents would call.
“It looks like they have a history of the different messages that we have taped over time and for some reason that they really don’t know, it keeps bouncing back to an old message in Spanish that was placed there,” Pino said.
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Pino said the issue was resolved on Monday, but it popped up again on Wednesday. He said he’s been told it should be resolved, but he mentioned that they may need to reconsider who they’re working with if issues continue.
“We may have to revisit who our contractor is and what kind of business we are doing if it doesn’t work for us and for the community,” Pino said.
Pino did not name the company that operates their phone system.
County health officials said 240 tests were done Tuesday at the mobile site that was open at South Econ Community Park.
On Wednesday, 350 tests were completed at the mobile site at Camping World Stadium.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said he believes the success of the site at Camping World Stadium had to do with the fact that people were able to walk to it. He said that’s why it’s so important that county officials consider where the mobile test sites are set up so residents can easily access them.
Mobile sites will be set up at Barnett Park in Orlando on Thursday and at West Orange Park in Winter Garden on Friday. Residents who wish to be tested can make an appointment by calling 407-723-5004, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Pino said in a news conference on Wednesday that it’s highly likely the mobile test site could return to the sites that were open while the phone system glitches were taking place so that those who wanted to be tested but couldn’t get through are able to.
County officials said this week’s mobile coronavirus test sites were chosen because they are near areas of the county with high numbers of COVID-19 cases.
Pino said additional mobile testing sites are possible and that officials are currently scouting out areas to open one in Apopka as soon as next week. He said details about an Apopka testing location would be announced Friday.
According to the latest numbers, Orange County has more than 1,200 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Nearly 19,000 tests had been administered in Orange County as of Wednesday night, Demings said.
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