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Governor DeSantis announces new labs will be processing 18,000 COVID-19 samples a day

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Plus childcare services prioritized for health care professionals, Orange County opening new mobile test site, and more updates

From State of Florida Newsroom

Governor Ron DeSantis held a press conference at the Florida Capitol Tuesday and announced the Florida Department of Health has contracted with two new private labs to complete COVID-19 testing. These two labs will be able to process 18,000 samples per day and provide results within 24-48 hours.

Governor DeSantis also announced additional walk-up testing centers will be opening in Orange, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, Hillsborough, Leon and Duval counties. The location in Orange County will be a mobile site that will move to different areas to serve the greatest need.

Additional actions the state has recently taken in response to COVID-19

  • The Department of Education’s Office of Early Learning, in coordination with local early learning coalitions, has prioritized and increased access to childcare services for first responders and health care professionals by creating an expedited referral process to swiftly provide priority access.

 

  • Florida College System institutions and private institutions across the state have donated more than 130 ventilators typically used in medical training programs to local hospitals, community medical centers and other facilities.

 

  • Since April 1, 2020, when the Department of Education announced the waiver of certification exam fees, more than 31,000 educators have signed up to take the Florida Teacher Certification Examination using the waiver. This translates into over 62,000 actual exam registrations for a savings value of more than $8 million for Florida educators.

 

  • The Department of Education has compiled dozens of free distance learning resources on its emergency response page here.

 

  • The Department of Elder Affairs partnered with the Florida Alzheimer’s Association to bring the gift of music to socially isolated seniors and adults with dementia by distributing over 1,000 pre-loaded MP3 players to these Floridians and their caregivers.

childcare, COVID-19, Governor DeSantis, Mobile Testing Site, Orange County, Testing, Updates

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