New York Expands Virus Testing To All State Residents

CDC’s laboratory test kit for the novel coronavirus — Photo: CDC

ALBANY — New York State is expanding its testing for the COVID-19 virus to all 19 million state residents.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the announcement during a Wednesday press conference in which he said there have already been 4 million tests administered statewide.

“You want to manage the COVID Virus, test, trace, masks, social distancing, that’s the formula, hard to do,” Cuomo said.”We now have 750 testing cites across New York State. We are now opening testing to all New Yorkers. We have that much capacity. Go get tested. It doesn’t cost you anything, it doesn’t hurt. take a test and it’s now open to everyone”

He said the numbers indicate New York is “doing great.” Tuesday’s results show 879 people hospitalized with the virus, the fourth straight day under 900, he said. There were 11 reported deaths, “just about as low as it has ever been.”

He said 56,000 tests were performed Tuesday, with a positive rate of 1.1 percent.

“The key to what we are doing is the testing. We just finished four million tests in New York. We only have 19 million people in New York,” New York is doing more tests per capita than any nation on the globe.”

Cuomo said the initial approach to the virus was not political or emotional and based on the facts as they were known at the time.

“What we have done from day one, we have been smart about what we’ve done with COVID. we didn’t get political, we didn’t get emotional,” he said. “Y have to anticipate the issue coming down the pike and you have to get ahead of it. You have to get ahead of the virus so what we now do is anticipate what could happen.”

Sixteen states are now on the state’s quarantine list, a doubling in only a week, Cuomo explained.

“Chances are, whatever we do, people from those 16 states are going to make their way here and that’s how we got infected to begin with (from travelers from Europe),” Cuomo explained. “Our infection rate is low, we know.”