Duval County

Jacksonville doctor sees rush for testing after beach businesses close for COVID-19 concerns

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville doctor has seen a rush of patients after many beach businesses closed for COVID-19 concerns.

Florida entered phase two of reopening less than a week ago, which allowed bars to reopen and restaurants to increase the indoor seating to 50% capacity.

Already, a growing list of businesses at the beaches are temporarily closing to clean because of COVID-19 concerns.

Dr. Saman Soleymani, President and CEO of Avecina Medical, said he’s seen a rush of patients in the past week.

“We have been inundated with patients,” Dr. Soleymani said. “Our volume is at least double what it used to be during our busiest times.”

The urgent care clinics’ three offices have rapid testing with results received within 24 hours.

He said the Southside office reached its daily limit of 125 tests by 10 a.m. Wednesday.

The doctor said patients are lining up outside before the doors are opened.

“This is busier than March when the entire shutdown process and COVID kind of became a thing in Jacksonville,” Dr. Soleymani said.

Dr. Soleymani said of the 200 patients seen at the Southside office Monday, about 100 had been to the beach bars and restaurants or knows someone who had.

“We have patients coming in that were potentially exposed through their mingling at the beaches and now many employers are asking their employees to not come to work unless they’ve had a negative COVID test.”

Dr. Soleymani said it’s too hard to say exactly how many of the positive COVID-19 cases in the past week are tied to the beaches.”

Just because someone was at the beach does not mean that’s where they got it,” Dr. Soleymani said.

“All we know that you know, every single day at each of the offices we’re getting quite a bit of positives,” Dr. Soleymani said.