Janelle Irwin Taylor
Hillsborough County will reopen its community COVID-19 drive-thru testing site at Raymond James Stadium on Wednesday, officials announced Monday.
Hillsborough County Emergency Management has secured 1,500 testing kits from the state of Florida. That’s 500 more than the county expected to receive.
The Raymond James site will be open through Friday from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m.
As with the previous testing operation at the site last week, which maxed out on the 900 testing kits available then, only those who have secured appointments can receive a test.
Appointments can be obtained by calling (813) 272-5900.
The Hillsborough County call center will begin scheduling appointments Tuesday and continue making them until the 1,500 threshold is reached until Thursday. The center will take calls from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Health care workers in medical protective gear will staff the site. Only those seeking a test should show up.
Appointments will be given to individuals who are showing symptoms including cough, fever or shortness of breath. Priority is given to those who have traveled to areas heavily impacted by the virus or to those who have had contact with someone who has tested positive to the virus.
If an appointment is granted, patients should arrive in a personal vehicle. Walk-up appointments are not permitted.
Each person receiving a test should be seated next to a working window. Those receiving a test should bring identification including their name, date of birth and photo as well as a printed copy or screenshot of the appointment confirmation.
Patients will first be given a tissue to blow their nose. They will be responsible for disposing of that tissue themselves, to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. A health care professional in full personal protective equipment gear will then place a cotton swab deep into the patient’s nose to obtain a sample. The swab is reported as being uncomfortable, but not painful. The test takes less than one minute.
Those tested will receive their results by phone when they are available. Testing results can take a week or longer to come back.
The testing site has been a collaboration among Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa, the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County, and four major medical groups in the region including BayCare, Tampa General Hospital, AdventHealth, and HCA Healthcare – West Florida Division.
