Miami offering mobile coronavirus testing for senior citizens with COVID-19 concerns

The city of Miami on Monday announced home testing for coronavirus for residents above the age of 65 who can’t leave their homes and who fear they may have contracted the COVID-19 disease.

Miami has 2,000 test kits for the effort, according to Mayor Francis Suarez. The tests will be restricted to homebound seniors who either have COVID-19 symptoms or think they were exposed to the coronavirus. It’s not known how many people fall into that category. Miami has about 80,000 residents over the age of 65, according to Census figures.

Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla said the 2,000 tests were originally slated for the drive-thru testing site Miami-Dade is setting up at Marlins Park sometime this week in a joint effort with Miami. The commissioner said the Marlins site will eventually have a regular supplier of tests, allowing Miami to focus on seniors who can’t get to the ballpark in Little Havana.

“It’s people who really need the help,” he said. Though the service is open to anyone in Miami who fits the criteria, Diaz de la Portilla said that city staff will be reaching out to residents of low-income senior towers for the tests. He said a case in a tower would be particularly troubling since “it could spread through the entire building.”

With the United States short on coronavirus tests as the pandemic spread, South Florida has been largely blind to the extent of COVID-19 spread. State figures released Monday showed 2,000 tests conducted in Miami-Dade, a county of more than 2.7 million people.

Mayor Francis Suarez said he secured the tests through Dr. Phillip Frost, a billionaire founder of medical companies who lives in Miami and is a prominent donor to educational and cultural institutions. On Monday night, the crespogramnews.com blog posted a city contract with a Frost company, Bioreferences Laboratory, to analyze up to 20,000 tests for a total cost of $1 million. Suarez said Bioreferences has only provided Miami with 2,000 tests, but has agreed to process up to 20,000 if the city can obtain more testing materials.

Representatives for Art Noriega, the city manager, were not available for interviews Monday night.

Suarez said he thought 2,000 tests would be enough to cover seniors who can’t be served by the Marlins Park option. “A lot of the elderly in our community can’t drive,” he said.

The press release invites people who meet the criteria to call 305-960-5050 and make an appointment for home testing.

This story was originally published March 23, 2020 at 9:00 PM.