MANATEE COUNTY, FL (January 6, 2023) – After testing more than 213,000 residents and visitors for the COVID-19 virus, Manatee County's free testing program will be coming to an end this week.
The closing of the site—run by NOMI Health in the parking lot located at 1301 8th Avenue W. in Downtown Bradenton—will occur at the close of business Saturday, January 7, 2023. This follows the closure of sites at the Bradenton Area Convention Center and John Marble Park in March 2022.
Over recent weeks, the number of citizens tested at the remaining location has averaged less than 25 a day. From the epidemiology perspective, this testing has been extremely successful in identifying COVID spread in our community. The positivity rate shown daily captured a more magnified view of the community in comparison to the CDC Data tracker since clients aligned with the demographics of the county. Data reported from this testing site was instrumental in working with the School District of Manatee County and Long-Term Care facilities in order for them to update their COVID mitigation plans.
As this site closes, a new testing location will open at the Downtown Bradenton Campus of the Florida Department of Health (DOH-Manatee) located at 410 6th Avenue E., in Bradenton, effective Monday, January 9, 2023. The site will be operational Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The COVID Testing unit will located in the main parking lot across the main entrance. For additional information or directions, call the DOH-Manatee Health Line at 941-242-6649.