PALM SPRING, Fla. — The state health department in Palm Beach County will be opening a new testing and vaccination site starting Friday.
The location is the Mid County Senior Center main auditorium at 3680 Lake Worth Road in Palm Springs.
The department said it will be open Monday to Sunday from 9 am to 7 pm and appointments are not necessary.
The demand for testing is going up as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations keep rising in Florida.
"I don't know if we thought we would see this many positive tests," Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday during a stop in Tampa.
DeSantis also promoted the use of antibody treatments for those testing positive for COVID-19, while Democrats criticized the governor for not allowing mask mandates and his overall handling of the new surge in cases.
"Do your job, take this pandemic seriously and focus on getting shots in the arms," U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., said, directing her comments at the governor.
In western Palm Beach County, Simple Life Medical which offers COVID-19 testing, is reporting a sudden spike in demand for tests.
"As testers we saw the increase happen overnight," Miguel Mayorca said. "They went from not testing to 'I want to know.'"
The company also offers a test that can give results within 30 minutes and, Mayorca said, is just as accurate as a PCR test, which can take days to get a result.
"They've been pretty much able to match the technology from a real-time PCR and make it in 25 minutes," he said.