By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com

A new location is being opened up in Lyon Township for COVID-19 testing and vaccine distribution.

Lyon Township Fire Station #2, located off of 10-Mile Road, will become a drive-through testing site on Fridays, beginning on January 8th. The fire station will be the 5th such location in Oakland County. Testing will be done by appointment only, and can’t be scheduled for the same day, according to HometownLife.com.

These operations were scheduled to begin earlier this month, but arrivals of the Phizer vaccine delayed them. An Oakland County official said that setting up a new location requires extra work and when the vaccines started coming in they shifted priorities to get health care and front line workers their first doses. The fire station has been authorized as a place where vaccinations can be given to the general public, but a start date for that is still unknown. When it does start, vaccinations and testing will not take place on the same days. COVID testing appointments on the first day will be fewer than what capacity allows to help make certain that everything starts off smoothly. However, if numbers spike as a result of holiday gatherings, it is possible that the January 8th kick-off date could get pushed back further.