BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – The Florida National Guard is jumping into action as the state continues to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
All of the Florida National Guard's medical professionals have been asked to form what it's calling Task Force – Medical.
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According to Florida National Guard Spokesman Will Manley, 145 medics with the Florida National Guard have been activated and are on their way to Broward County.
The team will work with Memorial Healthcare System in the coming days with most expected to arrive sometime Sunday night.
The team will first need to be trained by the staff at the Florida Department of Health in Broward County on how to perform oral swab testing on patients.
The Florida National Guard has called up all of it's medical professionals to form Task Force - Medical. Our #Soldiers and #Airmen are supporting the @HealthyFla Florida Department of Health (DOH) in Broward County. #COVID19#FloridaFirst #RightReadyRelelvant pic.twitter.com/ldtfpKUv4j
— FloridaNationalGuard (@FLGuard) March 15, 2020
The system will initially be designed as a walk-up testing facility and will then transition into a drive-thru facility, though officials said the timeline is hard to predict at this point. It depends on the time needed for training.
The presence of the Florida National Guard will help free up hospital staff so they can return to interior areas of the hospital to treat other patients.
Gear is not an issue, as the National Guard has its own share of safety masks, gloves and outer protective wear.
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