By: WCTV Eyewitness News

March 18, 2020

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) — Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare says the city's first drive-thru COVID-19 coronavirus specimen collection center, which is located at The Northwood Centre parking lot, opened at 11 a.m. Wednesday.

TMH says samples will only be collected from patients who have already been evaluated and have a physician order for COVID-19 testing. TMH is working with its local healthcare partners to establish this centralized sample collection site.

TMH and its partners are only ordering COVID-19 testing for patients with symptoms who meet the clinical criteria the

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"Currently, due to national shortages of test kits, we must use our medical resources judiciously," TMH says. "Only those who are symptomatic and meet the criteria set forth by FDOH should be tested."

TMH emphasizes this is not a community-wide screening and testing location.

The collection site will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For up-to-date community resources,

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