You can now get tested or vaccinated for COVID-19 at Palmetto bus station
Residents can now be tested for the coronavirus or get vaccinated at the Palmetto bus station.
The new combination testing and vaccination site is a joint operation between the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County and the Florida Division of Emergency Management. The site is located at the Palmetto Bus Station, 1802 Eighth Ave. W., Palmetto.
Open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Monday through Friday, the site offers PCR and rapid testing. Those being inoculated at the site, will receive the two-dose Moderna vaccine.
Testing and vaccines are free, but those seeking either need to bring proof of their Florida residency.
“This is a very unique approach,” said Dr. Edwin Hernandez, clinical services director at the local health department. “We think that moving forward at this stage of the game, we need to provide the community with access, practicality and a dignified approach.”
The site was chosen because it is located in zip code 34221, which has some of the lowest vaccination rates and highest test positivity rates in the county.
“ I think that this location will provide access to those people,” Hernandez said.
This story was originally published June 8, 2021 at 2:39 PM.
