COVID-19 Testing

As omicron surges, more nursing homes are facing a double whammy: Lab tests are taking too long, and fast antigen tests are in short supply.

As the number of new cases continues to climb, so does the test positivity rate, which topped 31% statewide in the week ending Thursday. All seven counties in the greater Tampa Bay region posted rates over 20%.

The tests heading to long-term care facilities were stockpiled during a “downturn” and expired at the end of the year. The state has been waiting for an answer from the federal government on whether they are usable.

Amid the delay in the roll-out of Biden’s plan, DeSantis appears to be pushing for a race with the federal government to get tests shipped out first.

Four tests per person will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis at the county's six public libraries.

The governor and surgeon general point to residents who get tested "multiple times per week" without COVID symptoms and will add state guidance to “unwind the testing psychology” of the Biden administration.

Officials say the site will test everyone in need, but are asking people who received booster shots and don't have symptoms to hold off on coming to the site to ensure there are enough tests for those who are sick.

The state reported 31,758 new cases Friday and 32,850 Saturday, a 320% surge in weekly numbers. The surge has come with a rush to get tested ahead of the holidays, and that trend continued after Christmas.

You probably won't be testing everyone at your Thanksgiving table for COVID because the tests are expensive and hard to find. The federal government is partly to blame.

It will be the only COVID-19 public site supported by the county.

The death toll and number of new cases from COVID-19 continues to drop across Florida and the greater Tampa Bay region.

Patrons will have to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test, or show that they have been vaccinated. An increasing number of music venues and festivals are implementing these rules.