Gov. Cuomo says every New Yorker can now get a COVID-19 test

Gov. Andrew Cuomo held a briefing Wednesday where he announced that testing capacity in the state has expanded to the point that every New Yorker can now get a test.

News 12 Staff

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Jul 1, 2020, 3:11 PM

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Updated 1,392 days ago

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged all New Yorkers, even those with no symptoms, to get tested at one of the state’s 750 testing sites.

“We have that much capacity. All New Yorkers can now get a test,” said the governor during his briefing on Wednesday.

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But Dr. Rob Levy, who runs the AFC Urgent Care in Farmingdale, says that may not be the best idea.

“I'm not sure we truly have the capacity to test every resident and get the results back in a reasonable time frame,” says Dr. Levy.

“We have a limited number of rapid tests, so we need to use third-party labs, just like all other medical offices as well, and those labs are backed up due to outbreaks down south and out west.”

He says results could now take several days or up to a week.

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Gov. Cuomo also said governments need to enforce social distancing, mask wearing and encourage testing:

“That is the governmental role and that is not happening to a sufficient basis,” he said.

The governor also announced that certain big box stores nationwide are now requiring masks. They are Whole Foods, Costco, C-Town and Stop and Shop.

“There's no question that social distancing and wearing a mask is what's keeping the virus from being spread in New York," said Dr. Levy.

More notes from the briefing are below.

Gov. Cuomo says “the buck stops at his desk” referring to President Trump. He says he was in denial about the coronavirus from the start.
“You know what Mr. President? Denying reality does not defeat reality, and he’s been denying scientific facts since day one.”
'It's time for the president to tell the truth.'