TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — In Florida, 2.8 million people have tested positive for the coronavirus and as more people search for COVID-19 testing, sites are opening up and expanding in Tallahassee.
While Patient's First continues to handle the high volume at the Northwood Centre, the Florida Division of Emergency Management opened a walk-up site on Tallahassee's northwest side of town.
Staffers say hundreds showed up for testing the first day, but won't have a final count until later.
People in line say this new option has come just in the nick of time.
"I'm getting tested because I might have COVID," said Bryan Handyside. "I believe I do but I live in a community where someone has it."
The new testing site in the neighborhood Home Depot parking lot isn't far from where Handyside lives.
With large numbers going to the Bragg Stadium test site, reaching test capacity around midday, this change was welcome.
"If you come out to one of these facilities, you need to prepare for an hour wait," Handyside said. "They actually told me an hour and a half so prepare for that.
The new location will add 400 more available tests daily in Leon County.
"We're hoping to increase the testing capacity by about 50 percent in the next couple of weeks," said Bryan Desloge.
The City has set aside money from the CARES Act to bring more testing to the communities that need it most.
"We will do it based on how much of the problems that we see," Desloge said.
Pop-up testing centers will make way to zip codes like 32304 in the next couple weeks.
