MIAMI (AP) — With Florida hitting a record number of cases, getting a COVID test Saturday on Christmas Day was almost as popular as eating a ham or drinking egg-nog-like coquito, for some.
Hours before a testing site opening at Tropical Park in Miami, dozens of cars lined up along a road leading to its entrance. The testing site was open from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, and two other sites in Miami-Dade County were open on Christmas Day.
The demand for tests came a day after Florida broke its record for number of reported cases — 31,758 new COVID-19 cases on Friday. The increase is being driven by the spreading new omicron variant. The previous record was in August during the height of the delta wave in Florida with 27,584 cases.
To help alleviate demand, county workers distributed 12,500 at-home COVID test kits Friday at Miami-Dade libraries before the supplies ran out.