5000+ New York Pharmacies To Conduct COVID Testing

April 25, 2020 Coronavirus, Government

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday that the state is expanding diagnostic coronavirus testing to first responders, health care workers and essential employees and aims to provide tests to 40,000 people each day. Cuomo will also sign an executive order to allow independent pharmacists to conduct diagnostic testing. This will unlock a network of over 5,000 pharmacies as testing locations, he said.

New York is conducting more tests per capita than anywhere else in the world at roughly 20,000 antibody and diagnostic tests each day. The state is averaging about 6,000 new virus cases every day. The governor said he plans to expand testing to 40,000 people per day with the help of the federal government as well as expand the criteria for someone to receive a diagnostic test. Transit workers and police will also receive testing next week.

I will sign an Executive Order allowing independent pharmacists to conduct diagnostic Coronavirus tests.

This will unlock a network of over 5,000 pharmacies as COVID-19 testing locations.

Social distancing measures still apply.

This will help us meet new lab capacity.

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) April 25, 2020