Post-Holiday COVID-19 Uptick Prompts Testing In Port Washington

PORT WASHINGTON, NY — Northwell Health is offering free COVID-19 testing exclusively for Port Washington residents at the Port Washington Adult Activity Center in response to an uptick in post-holiday COVID-19 infections, according to Port Washington Schools Superintendent Michael Hynes.

“As the virus remains an increasing threat in our community, it’s crucial for residents to understand that if they need a test, one is available,” Hynes wrote in an open letter to the school community Tuesday.

The activity center, which is located at 80 Manorhaven Blvd., will be offering COVID-19 testing four days a week from Jan. 10 to Feb. 18. Hours of operation are Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Mondays and Wednesdays from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Nassau County Department of Health officials noted a total of 105,584 cumulative COVID-19 cases as of Jan. 11. Of that those cases, 730 involved hospitalizations and 105 required the use of a ventilator to aid patients’ breathing, according to the county’s website. Two thousand four hundred and eighty-two people have died from the disease in the county to date.

According to Newsday’s COVID-19 tracker, there have been 746 cumulative cases of COVID-19, amounting to 48 cases per 1,000 people. There has been a daily increase of 13 cases, with a 10 case increase per day on a seven-day daily average.

The Port Washington School District pivoted to remote-learning Tuesday due to the substantial amount of staff members either testing positive for COVID-19 or who are quarantining due to close contact with others who tested positive for the virus in what Hynes described as out-of-school scenarios.

As of Jan.8, there were 164 cumulative positive COVID-19 cases throughout the Port Washington school district, though only 149 cases involve people who reside in the district, according to the New York State’s COVID-19 Report Card. Of that number, 44 staff members and 131 students tested positive. The schools with the highest number of positive cases are Guggenheim Elementary and Paul D. Schreiber Senior High School within 11 and 12 staff members testing positive for COVID-19. The report card does not list how many people who either attend or work at the school who are presently quarantining due to close-contact scenarios.

School officials plan to resume in-person learning on Tuesday, Jan. 19, but that is predicated by the number of staff members cleared by the Nassau County Health Department to return to work on that day.

Hynes credited the Peter & Jeri Dejana Foundation for its generosity in partnering up with the activity center and Northwell Health. “We encourage all residents to continue taking a proactive approach to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our community,” Hynes wrote.

Reservations for a COVID-19 test can be made by dialing 1-833-4CARENY.