With Eta Gone, Long Lines Return To Coronavirus Testing Sites Across South Florida
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - It was a busy day of testing for the coronavirus in South Florida on Wednesday, a day after many testing sites were closed due to Tropical Storm Eta.
There were long lines of South Floridians wanting to get tested, as there was another rise in cases statewide.
Though we are getting an uptick of cases statewide, hospitalizations are not as high in South Florida, as there are in other parts of the state.
South Florida Health officials say we have to keep on our toes because things could go south very quickly.
Images from Chopper 4 showed a long line of vehicles at Tropical Park in South Miami-Dade.
In Broward County, there was an hour and a half wait at Mills Pond Park in Fort Lauderdale.
"I'm seeing my family for a little gathering. I'm not traveling too far, but I want to be careful," said Jack Feldman said.
Testing options were limited Wednesday. Sites like Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale were closed because of flooding and that made lines even longer at other places.
Despite an uptick in the number of COVID cases, South Florida hospitals are holding steady.
In the Broward Healthcare System, 55 out of 1,529 beds are occupied by COVID patients. That's just under 5%. The Memorial Health Care System reports COVID patients occupy a little over 125 out of 1,742 beds, that's under 10%, and in the Jackson Health Care System, 116 beds have COVID patients out of a total of 2,400 beds, that's about 5%.
Martha Baker a Registered Nurse said, "We're not peaking by any means. We're not going down either. We're sort of just hovering."
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Baker is head of the nurses union for Jackson. She says it's up to all of us to not get into another COVID crisis.
"You know was high back in March when we started getting up to 600. So, we really need the community to partner with these health care professionals and help them out and do the smart thing and wear the mask and don't laugh at the mask. It's the best
vaccine there is."
The best vaccine we have is to wear our masks. Also, keep social distance annd also remember to keep washing your hands.
The Holiday Park testing site in Fort Lauderdale is going to be closed until November, 17. Mills pond will remain open.
Testing at Hard Rock Stadium resumes on Thursday. In Miami Beach, the convention center remains a testing site.
Click here to find a testing site near you.