coronavirus

Increased Demand for COVID-19 Tests in South Florida Means Longer Wait Times for Some Results

At the Marlins Park testing site, fire officials said there are about 1,500 people getting tested each day, compared to between 200 and 300 before June 1st

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A new concern with the rise in testing for COVID-19 in South Florida is how long people are waiting to get their results.

At Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens and Marlins Park in Little Havana, lines of cars stretched out on to the street Wednesday as hundreds waited to get tested.

Some people said they're frustrated because they say depending where you go get tested the results may come quicker than at other locations. Officials said the labs processing the tests have a very high volume to handle right now.

According to City of Miami Fire Rescue officials, their Mobile Testing Unit went from doing about 60 tests a day to 250 tests a day. These tests are done by firefighters and paramedics by appointment only at City of Miami residents' homes. Officials said they are now receiving 3,000 to 4,000 calls a day at their call center.

At the Marlins Park testing site, fire officials said there are about 1,500 people getting tested each day, compared to between 200 and 300 before June 1st.

"The calls have began to go up, since June 1st we’ve seen a rise in the numbers so we’ve had to increase our resources," Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Pete Sanchez said. "Our mobile testing units that we started March 23 first began with six units that would go to your home, now we’ve increased it to 11."

As of today, you can only get that in-home City of Miami COVID-19 test if you are 18 or older, homebound, or have no means of transportation.

NBC 6 asked the Florida Department of Health for updated information on how long results are taking, but haven't heard back. Some people on social media said they were tested months ago and never heard back, others said results came in seven days.

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