New York to Allow Coronavirus Tests in Pharmacies
The Government of New York has given pharmacies the go-ahead to carry out tests for coronavirus.
Speaking at the media briefing, New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo said some 5,000 pharmacies would be able to carry out testing, with the aim to provide 40,000 tests per day.
New York is the epicenter of the country’s Covid-19 outbreak. The US as a whole will soon reach the one million mark with 960,000 confirmed cases while almost a third of the 53,751 deaths were reported in New York City alone.
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Cuomo further announced that antibody screenings would be expanded at four hospitals, giving frontline medical workers the privilege pf getting tested first. He also said independent pharmacies would be allowed to collect samples for diagnostic tests.
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
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He also revealed that hospital admissions have been declining, which he described as a sign the crisis was starting to subside but urged people to remain cautious.
Meanwhile, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Alaska have allowed certain businesses to reopen despite warnings from experts and President Trump that the move could be too early and spark another wave of infections.
Many states are feeling the pressure to ease the coronavirus measures due to the rising claims of unemployment which has reached 26 million people since mid-March, or around 15% of the country’s population.
After the restriction of the lockdown, large numbers of people headed to beaches in Florida and California on Saturday.
Babers’ shops, tattoo shops, bowling center were also allowed to open in Georgia despite the rise in the number of pf deaths to COVID-19 in the state.
