COVID-19 TESTING

Daytona International Speedway is joining the race to end COVID-19 at its new testing site, according to a press release.

Monday proved to be another busy day at Barnett Park. The county-run COVID-19 testing site reached capacity around 3:30 p.m. closing early due to the high demand of people wanting to get tested.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – One of Orange County’s busiest coronavirus testing sites will continue to operate at least until the end of February, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said Monday. The future of the coronavirus testing site at Barnett Park was uncertain because county leaders had said there were no additional coronavirus relief funds to keep the site going beyond Jan. 30. [TRENDING: Florida debuts new vaccine hotline | Merritt Island-bound plane found in ocean | Titusville man accused of killing mother]“We are pleased to announce the Barnett Park testing site will remain open until the end of February,” Demings said. The site is operated by Orange County Health Services and provides testing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. [WATCH: Barnett Park offers rapid coronavirus testing in Orange County]“We are still seeing thousands and thousands of people a day that want to come and get tested,” said Banks.

FILE - In this July 2, 2020, file photo, Liza Collins, a travel nurse from Ville Platte, La., administers a COVID-19 test at the Rutherford County Health Department, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. As states rush to inoculate health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, only Tennessee has prioritized building its own emergency reserve of the coveted vaccine. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – The Florida Department of Health in Flagler County has announced changes to its COVID-19 testing schedule during the holidays. According to a news release, the Health Department will offer COVID-19 testing three days a week starting Dec. 21 and resume testing five days a week on Jan. 4. The department will not offer any testing from Dec. 24-27 and Dec. 31 through Jan. 2. Appointments are still required for Cattleman’s Hall and testing across from 120 Airport Road is on a first-come, first-served basis for the first 75 people, according to the release.

Giroir said one-third of the 6.4 million tests will go to Florida nursing homes, schools, first responders and historically black colleges. Florida has already received 2.2 million of the rapid tests. “The 15-minute rapid tests are a little bit different than the PCR test, the PCR tests are super, super sensitive,” DeSantis said. “So, if you’re infected, three weeks ago, you could still test positive on a PCR, you’re not contagious, but you can still test positive. The antigen rapid test, you’re probably not going to test positive unless you have an active infection.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Most free COVID-19 testing sites in Florida don’t come with the same crowds they once saw at the beginning of the pandemic. “There’s certainly not demand for that many tests right now,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said at a news conference in Clearwater on Sept. 29. Mike Jachles serves as the spokesperson for the testing site at the Orange County Convention Center, where they’re now averaging about 500 people tested a day. A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health told News 6:While the number of tests per day has fluctuated with demand, testing remains widely available for Floridians throughout the state. “The City of Orlando will continue to do COVID-19 testing sites throughout Orlando neighborhoods as long as the state and the county provide testing kits and lab resources.”At the state-run site at the Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida, they continue to see record testing including more than 2800 tests done on Friday.

ORANGE COUNTY – On Saturday afternoon, members of Florida’s national guard were seen at the Orange County Convention Center parking lot, continuing to watch over the tents and cones that have already been set up for a community based testing site. Ron DeSantis said another community site will be opened in The Villages to test even more people. “I think the plan would be if you have somebody that presents, that doesn’t require hospitalization, you test them. You have them be isolated in a convention center, a hotel. Don’t go back home with your family because the people you’re most likely to infect are those very close persistent contacts.”