TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — As cases spike in the Big Bend area, the Florida A&M University (FAMU) Bond Community Health Center COVID-19 Testing Site has expanded its capacity to 500 tests per day to accommodate the increased demand.
The expanded limit was introduced as local officials express concern that the median age for those testing positive for the coronavirus in Leon County last weekend was 23 years old.
On Monday, 547 people went to the Bragg Memorial Stadium site to get tested. Since it first opened on April 25, the site has collected specimens from more than 15,000 people.
“With the increasing demand, we want to ensure we have the capacity to test as many people as we can, symptomatic or asymptomatic,” said Cynthia Harris, Ph.D., director FAMU Institute of Public Health and one of the people who established the testing site. “We want to provide the free service to everyone who wants to get tested. We just want to serve the community.”
The site will be opened Friday, July 3 but will be closed Saturday, July 4, for the Independence Day holiday. The site is also closed on Sundays.
Testing is 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., is free, and no physician referral is required. Residents can also schedule an appointment by calling the Leon County Health Department at 850-404-6399.
The site is being operated with support from the Florida Department of Health, the Leon County Health Department and the state Division of Emergency Management. Area businesses and civic organizations have also contributed funding and supplies to keep the site open and volunteers fed.
