ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando City leaders hope opening up Camping World Stadium for COVID-19 testing on Monday will help ease demand, which has led to long lines at other testing sites and made appointments and testing kits hard to find at pharmacies.

At Orlando Pharmacy, pharmacy tech Parker Baro said about half of their COVID-19 tests are coming back positive lately.  And he says they’re doing a lot more of those tests since the omicron variant started spreading.

“We’ve seen a lot of folks where that’s their only symptom — maybe a sore throat, a little bit of congestion — and they do come back positive with this,” said Baro.

While many coronavirus testing appointments are booked at most pharmacies, Baro said Orlando Pharmacy actually has in-store rapid COVID testing available.  He believes it’s because they charge $60 for each test, which he said people who don’t want to have to wait in long lines are willing to pay. 

Most pharmacies offer COVID-19 tests for free, through insurance if the patient has it.

“A lot of the time it’s just folks who are kind of at the end of their rope and just want to know, 'Do I have this thing?'” said Baro.

But anyone looking for at-home tests, Orlando Pharmacy is out of them, just like most retailers right now.

“Now we’re at a point where you just can’t find them, and so I never thought we’d be at this point because I thought they’d be on the shelves forever,” said Baro.

Baro worries it will be a while before the test results, and the demand for testing, will return to normal.

At the Camping World Stadium site, the city, in partnership with CDR Maguire, will offer rapid antigen and molecular PCR tests.

The site will operate on a first-come, first-served basis, seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., until further notice.

No appointments are necessary, but officials encourage individuals to visit patientportalFL.com to fill out necessary forms in advance. 

Tests are free, and medical insurance is not required, though individuals who have it should bring their insurance card. Individuals of all ages can receive tests, and they do not have to be experiencing symptoms.

Vaccinations will not be administered at the Camping World Stadium location.

Orange County and the Florida Department of Health-Orange already operate testing sites at Barnett Park, the Econ Soccer Complex and the South Orange Youth Sports Complex. Long lines at those sites, resulting from the surge in omicron cases in Central Florida, often force them to close before the end of the day.