Duval County

‘We believe no one should have to wait for testing’ more people being tested in a fraction of the time

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — LATEST INFORMATION: Where to get a free COVID-19 test in Jacksonville

Original story from 10/16/2020 below:

The Regency Square Mall COVID-19 testing site is back to testing hundreds of people.

On Thursday, the site tested 1,028 people. The last time the site had such a large turnout was back in July. But, with a new healthcare company taking over, wait times are down dramatically despite the high number of people getting tested.

Nomi Health took over the Regency testing site on Tuesday and began offering free rapid antigen tests the following day. On Wednesday, the site saw a significant backup in traffic. Some people claimed to wait four hours, others said it was more than two. In total, 413 people were tested.

Action News Jax told you Wednesday evening when Nomi said it would be adding additional staff to reduce the long wait times. We showed you on Thursday the drastic difference. People said the entire process took 15-20 minutes, and the site reported having tested 1,028 people.

Nomi Health CEO Mark Newman stated, “Nomi is proud to lock arms with the State of Florida and the Florida Division of Emergency Management to expand access to COVID-19 testing at the Jacksonville Regency site. Based on the turnout and long lines earlier in the week, especially as we introduced free 1-hour response antigen testing, we worked quickly to streamline the process and add more staff. In fact, more than 1,000 people were tested yesterday alone, in many cases with 5-10 minute wait times. We believe people should not have to wait in long lines to get tested, and we thank the hard-working facility staff for their dedication to helping ensure everyone can access free testing.”

READ: Regency testing site ups staff members after long lines, delays

The record high for COVID-19 tests administered was on July 13. Medical staff tested 1,582 people in a single day.

Florida residents can make an appointment at https://testing.nomihealth.com/signup/fl.

The site is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You must wear a mask and bring an I.D.