New COVID-19 testing sites opened on Long Island Tuesday to ease the surge in demand at urgent care facilities.
Northwell Health is operating drive-thru testing sites at Christopher Morley Park in Roslyn and Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead. These sites offer self-administered rapid PCR tests and are by appointment only. Results are given within one day. If you are interested in scheduling an appointment, follow this
link.
Dr. Matthew Harris, the medical director of the Northwell Health vaccine program, says results should be expected within the next day. Harris also says the Roslyn site is equipped to help 500 people, while the Riverhead can help 350. He says the sites will have the ability to ramp up capacity if it is needed.
Long Islanders who are hoping to get tested have other options as well to avoid going to urgent care facilities. A community testing location in New Hyde Park has been opened on-and-off since the pandemic started at a Northwell Health building on 1 Marcus Ave. In addition, a community testing site was set up at the former Babies R Us in Bohemia two weeks ago.
"We have plans and we want to make certain we're safe," says Roslyn resident Norman Hollander.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone announced that three community-based testing sites will open over the next few days. They are all rapid antigen tests and are all first come first served.
Long Islanders who are hoping to get tested have other options as well to
avoid going to urgent care facilities. A community
testing location in New Hyde Park has been opened on-and-off since the pandemic
started at a Northwell Health building on 1 Marcus Ave. In
addition, a community testing site was set up at the former Babies R Us
in Bohemia two weeks ago.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone announced that three community-based testing sites will open over the next few days.
These sites are:
Heckscher State Park, Field 8
Opens Wednesday, Dec. 29
1 Heckscher State Parkway
East Islip
Runs every Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00
p.m.
Testing Capacity: Up 1,000 tests a day
Red Creek Park
Opens Monday, Jan. 3
102 Old Riverhead Road
Hampton Bays
Open for school-required testing and community testing
Open on Mondays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Testing Capacity: Up to 500 tests per day
Cathedral Pines County Park
Opens Tuesday, Jan. 4
116 Yaphank Middle Island Road
Middle Island
Open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Testing Capacity: Up to 500 tests per day
Gov. Kathy Hochul also announced two new state-run sites set to open on Long Island Wednesday.
One location is in Nassau County at Kennedy Memorial Park on Greenwich Street in Hempstead. The other location is in Suffolk County at the IBEW Local 25 on Motor Parkway in Hauppauge.
The new sites come after long lines have been seen at urgent care locations for their COVID-19 testing services.
Nassau is planning on distributing at-home test kits on Thursday if the county gets kits by then from the state.
