DOH-Manatee Partners With FDEM To Open One-Stop Shop for COVID-19 Testing, Vaccination
The Florida Department of Health in Manatee County (DOH-Manatee) and the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) have teamed up to offer a one-stop shop for COVID-19 testing and vaccination.
The COVID-19 testing and vaccination site is located at the Palmetto Bus Station, 1802 Eighth Avenue West in Palmetto. The site operates 9 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays. Testing (including both PCR and rapid testing) and vaccinations (Moderna) are free of charge. This is a walk-up operation; no appointment necessary. Visitors are asked to bring proof of Florida residency (driver’s license, utility bill with Florida address, etc.).
For more information, call (941) 242-6646.
DOH-Manatee nurses and support staff are working from the “aardvark,” the large vehicle that FDEM was offering COVID-19 testing from at the Bradenton Area Convention Center earlier this year.
FDEM contract staff are offering COVID-19 vaccinations from a DOH-Manatee mobile unit parked next to the “aardvark.”
DOH-Manatee and FDEM selected the Palmetto Bus Station with statistics in mind. The bus station sits in ZIP code 34221, the ZIP code showing some of the lowest COVID-19 testing and vaccination rates and some of the highest numbers of COVID-19-positive cases in the county.