In an effort to help speed up coronavirus testing at two South Florida sites run by the state, people in need of testing will have the chance to perform the often uncomfortable swab testing themselves.
The self-swab tests began Friday at both Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens and the War Memorial Auditorium in Broward County, with the ability to conduct between 500 and nearly 1,000 tests each day.
“Yeah, why not? I mean you know, I guess time is valuable,” said Mark Lee, who took the test at the Hard Rock Stadium site on Friday.
The South Florida sites - where appointments are not available - are joined by locations in Orlando and Jacksonville offering the self-swab service.
Those who have symptoms get diverted to a separate lane where they can perform the test under professional supervision.
Officials say the change is meant to reduce time in line while also speeding up the turnaround time for results.
“If the pilot program is successful, FDEM (Florida Department of Emergency Management) will expand this program to more state-run testing sites,” the state said in a statement.
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Officials say the tests are sent to a different lab from others taken at the sites, with results expected to be available within 72 hours via email.
