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Drive-thru COVID-19 testing will be offered free Sunday and Tuesday at the Putnam County Fairgrounds.
Two coronavirus testing opportunities will be at the Putnam County Fairgrounds in East Palatka on Sunday and Tuesday.
Mary Garcia, administrator for the Florida Department of Health in Putnam County, said the county partnered with the State Emergency Response Team to bring a drive-thru test center to residents.
“I’m really excited,” Garcia said about the drive-thru. “It just came at a right time.”
COVID-19 cases in Putnam County rose to 1,559 on Thursday and the Department of Health announced the death of an 82-year-old man. His place of residence was not released.
Thursday’s reported death brought the county to 29 total deaths since the outbreak began. Two new hospitalizations were reported Thursday, taking that number to 176 patients reported during the pandemic.
Hospitalizations are tracked by the patient’s place of residence. Putnam County patients may be hospitalized in facilities other than Putnam Community Medical Center. As of Thursday, 19 people were hospitalized and eight of them in the intensive care unit.
Garcia said the most recent cases were not a result of Saturday’s protests because it would be too soon to know if any cases could be traced back to those events.
Upcoming testing will be offered 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday and 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday. Garcia said she hopes this will help residents who may have missed other testing opportunities because of work.
According to Garcia, the site will be stocked to test about 1,000 people and testing is free. Residents should stay in their car and not eat or drink 30 minutes prior to testing because the swab is done orally.
No appointment is required, and results will be available five to 10 days after testing. For more information or questions regarding COVID-19, call 329-1904.
“It’s perfect,” Garcia. “(The drive-thru) gives us a great opportunity to get people that might not have been able to come. And doing it on Sunday is just wonderful.”
COVID-19 Update
- Cases in Florida: 557,137
- Cases in Putnam: 1,559
- Deaths in Putnam: 29
- Tests in Putnam: 13,291
- Negative tests: 11,716
- Current hospitalizations: 19
- For questions regarding coronavirus, call 329-1904, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily.
- Note: Testing numbers can vary as cases are trasferred in and out of Putnam County.