JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Friday is the last day a pair of city-run COVID-19 testing sites will be open.
The only two government coronavirus testing and vaccination sites still open in the city are located at Clanzel T. Brown Community Center at 4575 Moncrief Road on the Northside and Lane Wiley Senior Center at 6710 Wiley Road on the Westside. They will close on Friday.
Both sites are run by Agape Health, and it says demand is low.
Government-run testing sites are closing more often as the demand for them is falling significantly, and home tests are more available and easier to access.
People can still go to the Telescope Health site in Neptune Beach next to the former Kmart.
It will remain open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m.-3 p.m., but you must pre-register on Telescope Health’s site.
The government has home tests available that can be delivered to you free of charge through the United States Postal Service. You can order them at covid.gov.
The COVID case count in Florida has been steady in the past month, but hospitalizations are up 25% in the past four weeks with nearly 4,500 patients.
Vaccines are still widely available. You can find your nearest vaccination clinic at vaccines.gov.
Some of the remaining options to be tested are going to a doctor or a pharmacy.
Also, if you need to be tested, you can go to the Florida Department of Health in Duval County’s Central Health Plaza at 515 West 6th St. in the Springfield area. There is testing if you’re a client there, and if you talk with staff there, you should be able to get a test, as well.
About two years ago, long lines of people could be seen waiting in line for hours to get tested at public health sites. Since then, the demand for government-run testing has dropped considerably, and the availability of home tests has basically made these sites obsolete in Jacksonville.