Volusia County issued the following announcement on Jan. 7.
With the recent surge in demand for COVID-19 tests, the county is opening a new drive-thru testing site beginning Monday at the Volusia County Fairgrounds in DeLand.
The site, which will also offer COVID vaccinations, opens to the public beginning 9 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 10 and will operate from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The county has contracted with Family Health Source to provide the service, which is free to the public. Pre-registration is required to schedule a COVID test or vaccine. The registration portal will open at noon this Sunday, Jan. 9 for appointments this Monday and then will reopen one day at a time for the next available appointment day – on Mondays for Tuesday appointments, Tuesdays for Thursday appointments, Thursdays for Friday appointments and Sundays for Monday appointments. Access the registration portal by going to the Family Health Source web site at myfhs.org/.
Insurance isn’t required to receive a test or vaccination. For those with insurance, their insurance information will be requested during the online registration process. However, they won’t be billed any copay or coinsurance.
“With the increasing number of people seeking to get tested, this new site should help alleviate the pressure and excess demand that some of the other sites have been experiencing,” said Volusia County Interim Public Protection Director Mark Swanson. “We’re hopeful that the spike in new cases will subside soon. But in the meantime, we want to increase our county’s testing capacity and provide residents with another option for receiving COVID-related services.”
The site will offer the antigen, or rapid COVID test – a nasal swab that will be administered by trained staff from Family Health Source. Anyone age 1 and up is eligible, and residents don’t have to be experiencing COVID symptoms to get tested. The results will be provided by a text message within approximately 30 minutes. Anyone who needs or wants a PCR test is encouraged to seek out one of the other community testing sites that offer it.
Moderna and Pfizer COVID booster shots will be available at the Fairgrounds, also as a drive-thru service. Whether they’re getting a COVID test or vaccine, individuals must bring a photo ID and their insurance card if they have one on the day of their appointment.
The Volusia County Fair Association Board of Directors and General Manager Ronnie Hull are permitting use of their property for the facility. Access will be from the Fairgrounds entrance on Prevatt Avenue. The site will be closed on Monday, Jan. 17 for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Original source can be found here.