Tests popular on Christmas Day as cases of Florida viruses increase

MIAMI (AP) – When Florida hit a record number of cases, getting a COVID test on Saturday on Christmas Day was almost as popular as eating a ham or drinking egg-nogg-like coquito.

Hours before a test site opened in Tropical Park in Miami, dozens of cars lined up along a road leading to the entrance. The test site was open from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, and two other locations in Miami-Dade County were open on Christmas Day.

Demand for tests came the day after Florida broke the record for the number of reported cases ̵[ads1]1; 31,758 new COVID-19 cases on Friday. The increase is driven by the spreading new omicron variant. The previous record was in August below the height of the delta wave in Florida with 27,584 cases.

To help curb demand, county workers handed out 12,500 home COVID test kits Friday at Miami-Dade libraries before supplies ran out.