With number of confirmed cases, deaths spiraling, Miami-Dade adds another testing site

Miami-Dade County is opening a new drive-through coronavirus testing site at the South Dade Government Center for anyone over 18 years old who shows symptoms or meet other federal guidelines for testing for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The center, at 10710 SW 211 St, in Cutler Bay, will offer 300 appointments per day beginning Sunday. Those who wish to be tested must make an appointment by calling 305-499-8767, the same number used for the county’s Hard Rock Stadium testing center.

The new site will be operated by the county, its fire department, Jackson Memorial Hospital and the University of Miami. Its location gives residents of Homestead and other southern cities a closer testing site within Miami-Dade County, said County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who announced the new site during a virtual news conference Saturday afternoon. He said the county is looking to add another site at the grounds of the Miami Youth Fair in Westchester.

The new testing site raises the number of locations in Miami-Dade to at least eight, including sites at Marlins Park in Little Havana, Charles Hadley Park in Miami, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Amelia Earhart Park in Hialeah, the Miami Beach municipal parking lot at 46th Street and Collins Avenue, and the Doris Ison Health Center in South Miami-Dade.

Larkin Community Hospital’s Hialeah campus offers drive-through testing at $150 per person. And the City of Miami’s fire department offers in-home testing for seniors who are experiencing symptoms and do not have access to transportation.

As the number of testing sites in Miami-Dade has increased, the Florida Department of Health reports that the rate of positive tests has risen.

On Saturday, the health department reported that Florida’s testing has increased over the past week. As testing has increased, so has the rate of positive tests.

The percentage of those testing positive for COVID-19 statewide has been 11 percent. On Friday, the Florida Department of Health reported, there were 11,725 tests received, with 1,597 positive results, or 14 percent.

As of Saturday morning, the health department reported 11,111 total confirmed COVID-19 cases statewide and 191 deaths. That’s an increase of 843 new confirmed cases and 21 more deaths over the prior day’s report.

Five more people died in Miami-Dade since Friday night to bring its total to 30. At 3,667 confirmed positive cases, Miami-Dade is now leading the state. Of that total, 3,624 are residents.

This story was originally published April 4, 2020 at 2:33 PM.