Port Charlotte, Fla. – NEW LOCATION! The Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County in collaboration with Charlotte County Emergency Management will provide free COVID-19 testing at South County Park starting Wednesday, August 19^th.  

LOCATIONS HAVE CHANGED SINCE THE ORIGINAL PUBLICATION OF THIS ARTICLE. 

For the most recent test site information, go to the following sites:  
https://charlotte.floridahealth.gov/events/2020/09/CharlotteCOVID-19TestSites.html

https://floridahealthcovid19.gov/testing-sites/

Should I be tested for COVID-19? Before you decide to make an appointment to be tested for COVID-19, please consider the following:

• Are you ill, or caring for someone who is ill?
  • In the two weeks before you felt sick, did you:
  • Have contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19?

• Do you have any of the following?
  • Fever or feeling feverish (chills, sweating)
  • Cough            
  • Sore throat
  • Muscle aches or body aches
  • Vomiting or diarrhea
  • Change in smell or taste

• In the last two weeks have you spent time (visited, worked or volunteered) in a hospital, emergency room, clinic, medical office, long-term care facility or nursing home, ambulance service, first responder services, any health care setting or taken care of patients or someone who has been sick?

• Do you have any of the following conditions?
  • Chronic lung disease, moderate to severe asthma, or smoking
  • Serious heart conditions
  • Weakened immune system (cancer treatment, prolonged use of steroids,  transplant or HIV/AIDS)
  • Severe obesity (Body Mass Index [BMI] greater than or equal to 40)
  • Underlying conditions (diabetes, renal failure, or liver disease)

Please stop the spread of COVID-19:

• If you have been tested for COVID-19, please stay at home until you receive your test results.
• Follow social distancing, even when you are at work and home (especially if someone in your home is sick)
• Stay at home if you are sick, or if you have been around someone who has been sick.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• Cover your coughs and sneezes; cough or sneeze into a tissue NOT in your hands!
• Cover your face with a cloth face covering when you are in public or around others.
• Clean and disinfect frequently used surfaces
• Avoid travel to higher risk areas (areas known to have high numbers of cases)

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) releases a report on COVID-19 cases in Florida once per day. There is also a report detailing surveillance data for every Florida county. The Florida Department of Health also releases a list of long-term care facilities in Florida with active cases and number of deaths in each facility.

The surveillance data, long term care data and information on a case-by-case basis can be found at: https://floridahealthcovid19.gov/#latest-stats

For information and advisories from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), please visit the CDC COVID-19 website, this website is also available in Spanish and Creole.

 The COVID-19 Call Center is available 24/7 | 1 (866) 779-6121 | COVID-19@flhealth.gov

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About the Florida Department of Health

The Department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.