New York Expands Coronavirus Tests As Capacity Rises, Cuomo Says

NEW YORK, NEW YORK — All first responders, frontline health care workers and essential workers can now receive coronavirus tests under expanded criteria announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Saturday.

The expansion will be possible thanks to the ability to conduct an expected 40,000 tests a day, among other measures, Cuomo said during his daily coronavirus news conference.

"We're actually doing more tests per capita than any country around the world," he said.

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A new federal partnership will allow New York to conduct the 40,000 daily tests, Cuomo said. He said he'll sign expand testing capacity through an executive order allowing independent pharmacies to become test collection sites.

That will add 5,000 collection sites, he said.

A graphic that displayed as Cuomo spoke spelled out why more tests and collection site could be important: "Testing criteria will continue to expand as capacity increases," it stated.

Cuomo said that means firefighters, paramedics, police officers, doctors, nurses, grocery store employees, laundry workers, trash collectors and more can now receive tests.

He said frontline health care workers in four New York City hospitals and health care systems can also receive antibody tests, which indicate whether or not someone had the virus at some point. Those are:

• Bellevue Hospital
• Montefiore Medical Center
• Elmhurst Hospital
• SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

The coronavirus wave now hitting New York City hospitals first struck Elmhurst Hospital.

Cuomo said there will also be significant antibody testing for MTA transit workers, New York State Police troopers and New York Police Department officers.

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