HIALEAH, Fla. – Officials from the City of Hialeah and Larkin Community Hospital held a joint news conference Friday morning on the spread of COVID-19, at which time they announced that the hospital would be another South Florida testing site for patients who need to be tested for the coronavirus.
"We will have the first place in the City of Hialeah for people to get checked up for the coronavirus,” Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez said.
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The new site launches Friday.
Friday’s testing will prioritize first responders and healthcare workers.
After that, the mayor said it will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for members of the public, but only for those showing symptoms of COVID-19 and who also complete an online application.
“There will be protocols,” Hernandez said. “This is not just a walk up here and get tested if you think you have it or not.”
Hospital leadership said the test results will be available in two days, with hopes to eventually minimize the wait time from days to just hours.
“Basically, we’re gonna start with 500 tests in a 24-hour period of time, and then we’re going to ramp up from that for the next two weeks to go to 2,000 tests,” Hospital Chairman of the Board Jack Michel said.