The testing site reopened on Jan. 13 after an eight-month hiatus.
Courtesy of The Tampa Bay Times.
By Sofía García Vargas
The revamped COVID-19 drive-thru testing site at Tropicana Field offers Pinellas County accurate and quick results.
Reopened on Jan. 13 after an eight-month hiatus, the site is possible due to a partnership between the City of St. Petersburg, Impact Health and the Tampa Bay Rays.
Running daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Lot 2, both rapid antigen and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are available to everyone at no cost, but anyone with health coverage is asked to present an insurance card.
Results are expected within minutes or hours, depending on the test taken.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the PCR test is more accurate as it detects genetic material from a specific organism but takes longer for results to come back.
As Omicron-related COVID-19 cases surged in the Tampa Bay area, a demand for more free and public testing sites increased as well.
As a result, the City of St. Petersburg decided to bring back the Tropicana Field location to serve the community.
According to The New York Times, cases in Pinellas County have soared in the past few weeks.
“The total [cases] reported for the past week was the highest of the pandemic. The numbers of hospitalized COVID-19 patients and deaths in the Pinellas County area have also risen,” the Times said.
The newspaper also reported the following:
- On Jan. 14, 14,310 new cases were reported.
- There have been 15 deaths in the last two weeks.
- 63% of the Pinellas County population has reported to be fully vaccinated.
- As of Jan. 17, the daily average of new cases was 2,044.
With the Omicron variant, those numbers are projected to increase.
In December, the CDC stated that the Omicron variant will likely spread faster than the original COVID-19 virus, despite vaccination status or lack of symptoms.
However, the CDC emphasizes the importance of vaccination and boosters as they reduce the probability of severe illness, hospitalizations and deaths associated with the Omicron variant.
Former mayor of St. Petersburg, Rick Kriseman, told The Crow’s Nest that he mirrors the CDC’s recommendations.
“The best thing you can do to protect yourself first and foremost is getting vaccinated. Vaccines certainly limit the risks to your health and the long-term effects,” Kriseman said. “Second thing is to be smart. Wear a mask when you’re around a lot of people, get vaccinated, social distance when you can and just be smart.”
At the USF St. Petersburg campus, a recent survey showed that a majority of respondents reported full vaccination status.
The Tropicana Field testing site is available as a drive-up service, but the city recommends pre-registering at impacthealth.com/StPeteTrop. Drivers are asked to line up southbound on 16th Street South and turn west on 3rd Avenue South to enter the testing area.
The other free, public testing site in Pinellas County is the Center for Health Equity, located at 2333 34th St. S. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
