New COVID-19 Testing Site Opens At Ed Smith Stadium

SARASOTA, FL — A fourth COVID-19 testing site run by the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County opened Thursday morning at Ed Smith Stadium, which is located at 2700 12th Street in Sarasota.

This drive-through testing site, operated by Real Diagnostics and CDR Maguire, will offer PCR testing only and will operate daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the DOH said in a news release.

The new site was added as COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to rise in Sarasota County and throughout the state.

From Aug. 13-19, 2,772 new cases and an 18.6 percent new case positivity rate was reported in the county, according to the FDOH’s COVID-19 Weekly Situation Report for that week.

Sarasota Memorial Hospital continues to break records regarding the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 and recently lease a refrigerated trailer to increase its morgue capacity.

In addition to the new Ed Smith Stadium site, COVID-19 testing is also available at the following locations:

• Former Sarasota Kennel Club (5400 Old Bradenton Road, Sarasota): This drive-through site is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This site, operated by Nomi Health, offers rapid and PCR tests.
• Robert L. Taylor Community Complex parking lot (1845 34th Street, Sarasota): This walk-up site is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This site, operated by Lab Services, offers PCR testing all day and rapid tests from noon to 4 p.m.
• Dallas White Park (5900 Greenwood Ave., North Port): This walk-up site is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This site, operated by Lab Services, offers PCR testing all day and rapid tests from noon to 4 p.m.

All four sites will test anyone regardless of symptoms and testing is free, the DOH said.

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The DOH also offers COVID-19 vaccines — Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson — at its Sarasota (2200 Ringling Blvd.) and North Port (6950 Outreach Way) offices Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

First and second doses of the vaccine are available to anyone who wants the vaccine, and a third dose is also available to eligible immunocompromised patients, DOH said.