BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A health care provider will expand its drive-thru COVID-19 testing on Tuesday to include certain members of the public, but they must be prescreened and preregistered to be tested.
Omni Healthcare in Melbourne is prepared to test at least 500 people per day, seven days a week, by appointment at the Apollo Boulevard location.
The following people can make appointments:
- Health care workers and first responders
- Grocery store employees
- Residents 60 or older
- 45 and older with a chronic illness
- Anyone exhibiting symptoms such as coughing and fever
Over the weekend, Omni Healthcare in Melbourne began testing first responders over the weekend.
LIVE UPDATES: Florida reports 18 deaths, more than 300 new coronavirus cases since this morning
Dr. Craig Deligdish, Omni Healthcare chief medical officer and former molecular virologist, said 1% to 2% of people in the U.S. are dying of the illness, but “many people are asymptomatic.”
“And unfortunately, if they are infected and asymptomatic they are at risk to transmit the disease to other folks,” Deligdish said.
Read: Third coronavirus testing site opens in Orange County
By mid-afternoon Monday, Omni Healthcare had already made close to 350 appointments for drive-thru testing.
“Unlike many of the other testing facilities that are not taking appointments and have five-hour waits or who have found it unnecessary to schedule appointments, we’re trying to do as much as we can in advance,” Deligdish said.
Omni Healthcare is also working to obtain the tests needed to determine if someone has immunity to COVID-19.