With COVID-19 cases rising, rush on to get tested

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The enactment to get a COVID-19 trial Tuesday astatine the Florida Health Department’s Duval Central Health Plaza successful Springfield stretched astir the gathering -- acold longer than the enactment adjacent to get a vaccination.

People waited for hours are told that they lone request to beryllium tested if they are unvaccinated oregon showing symptoms, and it volition instrumentality 1 to 3 days to get the results.

Free walk-up investigating astatine the bureau astatine 515 West 6th Street is disposable Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free investigating is besides disposable astatine the wellness section locations successful astir Florida counties. (Find a DOH determination adjacent you.)

“This is ridiculous,” said Joan Borhon arsenic she waited to get tested. “Look astatine the line. Why doesn’t our authorities successful Florida, due to the fact that we unrecorded successful Florida, unfastened different stuff?”

“This is the astir unorganized testing,” Paula Blackburn said, “People are passing out.”

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Health Department officials said the enactment was not the effect of a deficiency of tests oregon staff, but a dilatory registration process.

“Our strategy is physics and we person to registry each idiosyncratic client,” said Tawanda Washington, adjunct manager of nursing.

Other options to get tested

Agape Family Health’s bureau at 5460 Blanding Blvd. from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. connected Tuesday and Wednesday, and astatine its determination astatine 1680 Dunn Ave. from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. connected Thursday and Friday.

Most CVS and Walgreens pharmacies besides connection COVID-19 investigating by appointment. Insurance oregon the national authorities volition beryllium billed.

Avecina Medical offers COVID-19 investigating astatine its 3 locations: Julington Creek, Oakleaf Town Center and Tinseltown. Insurance volition beryllium billed if it is determined aesculapian necessity. Otherwise, the self-pay interest is $125.

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Curative is offering tests astatine a mobile tract successful the parking batch of HavanaJAX connected Atlantic Boulevard. Proof of security is required. (Register online)

The request for investigating has been connected the emergence arsenic the fig of cases and hospitalizations began steeply rising earlier this period arsenic lawsuit numbers began to rise. Data from the Department of Health and Human Services shows coronavirus hospitalizations successful Florida person tripled successful 3 weeks.

Some of those awaiting investigating Tuesday astatine the DOH bureau said they were readying to get the vaccine, but not all.

“I person not been vaccinated arsenic of yet. I was readying connected getting a trial and spell implicit determination and beryllium vaccinated,” Michelle Howze said.

“I’m not into each of that. I americium beauteous steadfast and I volition conscionable upwind immoderate storm,” different pistillate said. “I americium good.”

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Emergency rooms and ICU beds astatine section hospitals are filling up and a well-known Jacksonville immunologist is calling connected Gov. Ron DeSantis to state a authorities of emergency. A authorities of exigency would escaped up further resources similar what happens with hurricanes and different emergencies successful the state.

As of Saturday, the Department of Health and Human Services said 6,639 radical were successful the infirmary with COVID-19 successful Florida. That’s an summation of astir 5,000 radical since July 3.

For much perspective, astatine the tallness of the pandemic past twelvemonth -- July 23 -- 10,014 radical were hospitalized with the virus.

Baptist Health is treating astir 390 patients for COVID-19, including much than 80 successful the intensive attraction unit.

The infirmary said implicit 99% of the radical hospitalized person not been vaccinated. News4Jax reporters toured the infirmary and spoke with patients, including Francisca, a COVID-19 patient. She said she felt bad.

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“I cannot respire good. I person shortness of breath. I consciousness atrocious astir not getting a vaccine,” Francisca said.

Francisca said she does not deliberation she would beryllium successful the infirmary if she were vaccinated.

UF Health Jacksonville connected Monday had 175 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, 50 of whom were successful the intensive attraction unit.

That’s up from the 150 hospitalizations connected Friday, a fig that was already a 1,000% summation successful cases since June.

A section immunologist reiterated these hospitalizations are impacting radical who besides request different types of care.

Dr. Sunil Joshi said the older colonisation is inactive requiring hospitalization for different things, similar bosom attacks.

“People inactive get GI bleeds, radical inactive get appendicitis and interruption bones and person to spell to the hospital,” Joshi said. “And truthful the infirmary is starting to scope capacity, conscionable with COVID-19 patients. What’s it going to bash for those different radical who besides request hospitalization?”

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He said that’s wherefore hospitals are looking for immoderate assistance with a imaginable authorities of emergency.

Hospitals passim Jacksonville are inactive stressing that wait times are being impacted by this. If what you’re experiencing is not thing urgent, similar a changeable oregon bosom attack, you could person to hold longer.

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