Osceola County To Launch COVID-19 Testing Site

Published on July 30, 2021

PR21-74

Local Leaders Urge Vaccinations and Masks Amidst Spike in Numbers

Osceola County, Florida – Based on an alarming spike in COVID-19 cases, Osceola County will launch a walk-up COVID-19 test site at Osceola Heritage Park.

The site will be open seven days a week and will offer free, rapid testing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The first day of operation will be August 13. The County will provide a website and registration link next week for the appointment-only site.

The Department of Health in Osceola and local pharmacies provide testing. Information on testing options is available at www.Osceola.org/covid19testing.

This renewed push to inform the public is in response to the latest COVID-19 Weekly Situation Report that shows increased cases and percent positivity. From July 23 through July 29, 2,160 new cases were reported with the percent of positive new cases at 19.3 percent. Among Osceola residents 12 and older, 65 percent have received at least one shot. For more information on COVID-19 data, please visit https://floridahealthcovid19.gov/. The weekly report is published every Friday.

Officials urge anyone who has not been vaccinated to consider getting a shot to reduce the spread of the COVID-19.

Vaccinations are widely available at local pharmacies – such as CVS, Walgreens, Publix and Wal-Mart; urgent care facilities and provider offices. The Florida Department of Health also offers vaccinations at no cost.

Find vaccination locations at www.Osceola.org/covid19vaccinations.

The rise in cases threatens the region’s economic recovery and has already pushed hospitals to capacity with some going to “Black” status and cancelling or rescheduling non-emergency procedures as emergency rooms and ICUs fill with COVID-19 patients. Long wait times and bed availability are direct impacts of the current surge in cases.

Osceola County, the City of Kissimmee and the City of St. Cloud are requiring all employees to wear masks or face-coverings in their buildings.

While Osceola County Government buildings remain closed, any visitors must also comply with this policy.

City of Kissimmee employees are required to wear face coverings or a mask in all common areas of City-owned facilities. Employees are also encouraged to wear face coverings when having face-to-face interactions with members of the public or close (<6') interactions with other employees. All Departments have transitioned to hosting and attending internal meetings virtually except when a face-to-face meeting is deemed critical to the success of the meeting or task being completed.

St. Cloud staff must wear masks. Visitors are not required to wear masks. City hall will continue to operate normal hours: Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The City of St. Cloud closed summer day camp as of the end of the day Thursday, July 29, due to COVID. Camp on July 30 and Aug. 2-6 was cancelled. Also, St. Cloud’s Building and Planning & Zoning departments were closed this week and staff was working remotely due to COVID. Those departments will reopen Monday, Aug. 2.

On July 27, the CDC guidance was updated to recommend wearing of face masks indoors (regardless of vaccination status). Health officials urge residents to continue personal prevention measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 such as social distancing and good personal hygiene – including frequent hand-washing.

The Florida Department of Health in Osceola County is working with the community to provide local vaccination opportunities, which include educational resources and hosting COVID-19 vaccination events at local businesses and organizations.

Osceola County businesses and organizations interested in hosting a vaccination event, may visit http://osceola.floridahealth.gov to make a request for a COVID-19 vaccination event.

The Florida Department of Health in Osceola County is providing vaccination opportunities, including a back-to-school event in partnership with Solid Rock Church in Kissimmee on Saturday, August 14th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. During this event, the health department will provide COVID-19 education and vaccinations.

Additional outreach events include:

• Back-to-School Block Party: Saturday, August 7th from 5-7 p.m. in Historic Downtown Kissimmee and hosted by Kissimmee Main Street
• St. Cloud Health Annual Health Fair: Saturday, September 18th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the St. Cloud Civic Center and hosted by the City of St. Cloud.

The Florida Department of Health in Osceola County is working with the National Institutes of Health and the Mayo Clinic to provide COVID-19 education and resources to area barber shops and salons. Working with the NIH, a virtual town hall will be offered along with follow-up COVID-19 education and training for barber shop and salon owners in Osceola County.

The efforts come as Florida reported 16,038 new cases of the virus on July 27, a sizable increase from the 12,775 cases reported one day before, CDC data shows. The state has also vaccinated roughly 50 percent of people in the state, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

As teachers are poised to return next week for the start of the new school year, education professionals face additional challenges regarding masks and face coverings as the Governor and the Education Commissioner have restricted the ability of school districts to impose mask mandates – in spite of a CDC recommendation for universal masking of teachers, students and staff, regardless of vaccination status.

Condado Osceola Lanzará Sitio de Pruebas COVID-19

Líderes locales instan a vacunas y coberturas faciales en medio de aumento en los números

Condado Osceola, Florida – Basado en un aumento alarmante en los casos de COVID-19, el Condado Osceola lanzará un sitio de prueba de COVID-19 en Osceola Heritage Park.

El sitio estará abierto los siete días de la semana y ofrecerá pruebas rápidas y gratuitas de 9 a.m. a 5 p.m. El primer día de operación será el 13 de agosto. El Condado proporcionará un sitio web y un enlace de registro la próxima semana para el sitio que será solo para citas.

El Departamento de Salud de Osceola y las farmacias locales ofrecen pruebas. La información sobre las opciones de prueba está disponible en www.Osceola.org/covid19testing.

El renovado impulso para informar al público es en respuesta al último Informe de Situación Semanal COVID-19 que muestra un aumento de casos y un porcentaje de positividad. Desde el 23 de julio hasta el 29 de julio, se informaron 2160 casos con un porcentaje de casos nuevos positivos de 19.3%. Para obtener más información sobre los datos de COVID-19, visite https://floridahealthcovid19.gov/. El informe semanal se publica todos los viernes.

Las autoridades instan a cualquier persona que no haya sido vacunada a considerar vacunarse para reducir la propagación del Coronavirus.

Las vacunas están ampliamente disponibles en farmacias locales, como CVS, Walgreens, Publix y Wal-Mart; centros de atención de urgencias y oficinas de proveedores. El Departamento de Salud de Flor