South Florida Seeing Surge In Coronavirus Cases, Increased Testing
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The lines are back at Holiday Park to get a coronavirus test. The longer lines mirror the rise in South Florida COVID-19 cases.
In the past two weeks, Broward County has gone from a 2.8 positivity rate to 6.1 percent. In Miami-Dade, the positivity rate on October 23rd was 2.4 percent. Now, it's nearly 7 percent.
In the Keys, it's even higher. Monroe County has gone from under 5 percent two weeks ago to now a positivity rate of over 12 percent.
CBS4's Joan Murray caught up with Eloise Bravo and the rest of her family who was getting tested Friday.
"I was feeling sick and with everything going on, I felt it was the right thing to do," said Bravo.
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After a lull in September, it seems COVID is back with a vengeance.
People are getting tired of wearing masks and being away from their loved ones.
Dr. Jennifer Goldman is chief of primary care at Memorial Healthcare System and was medical director at a testing site. She says there are many reasons more people are getting tested.
"People are going when they are feeling symptoms or they are going because they had close contact with someone," said Goldman.
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Dr. Goldman says younger people between the ages of 18 and 40 are getting infected in large numbers and the virus is just as deadly now as it was six months ago.
"It depends on the host if that person has a weakened immune system, as they tend to do worse."
As for the upcoming holidays, it's recommended we keep it small and keep it safe.
Make sure you wear a mask at all times and when eating out, it is in an outdoor setting.
Click here for a list of testing sites and what you need to know.