April 25, 2020
Albany, NY

Amid Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, Governor Cuomo Announces Expansion of Diagnostic Testing Criteria to Include All First Responders, Health Care Workers and Essential Employees

Issues Executive Order Allowing Pharmacists to Conduct Diagnostic Testing for COVID-19

State is Conducting Antibody Testing for Frontline Health Care Workers at Four New York City Hospitals and Health Care Systems

State Will Conduct Antibody Testing for First Responders and Transit Workers Starting Next Week

Confirms 10,553 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State - Bringing Statewide Total to 282,143; New Cases in 57 Counties

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the state is expanding diagnostic testing criteria to include more frontline New York workers - a direct result of rapidly increasing diagnostic testing capacity. The expanded criteria will now allow all first responders, health care workers and essential employees to be tested for COVID-19 even if they aren't symptomatic. The state will continue to expand testing criteria as testing capacity increases.

Governor Cuomo also announced he will issue an Executive Order allowing pharmacists to conduct diagnostic testing for COVID-19. This action will unlock a network of over 5,000 pharmacies as COVID-19 testing locations and help the state build a collection network to meet laboratory capacity and increase overall testing capacity.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/g23PcWs2zy0

The Governor also announced the state is continuing to conduct antibody testing for frontline health care workers, including at four hospitals and health care systems in New York City today. The antibody testing will be conducted at Bellevue Hospital, Elmhurst Hospital Center, Montefiore Medical Center and SUNY Downstate Medical Center which is currently being used only for COVID-19 patients. Additionally, the state will begin conducting antibody testing for first responders and transit workers starting next week, including MTA employees and transit workers, New York State Police and the New York City Police Department.

We've been working with the federal government to increase the capacity of labs that process these diagnostic tests, and now we need more collection sites so we continue to ramp up our testing across the state.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

"We know that testing is a key component of re-opening the economy and getting to a new normal, and New York State is already doing more tests per capita than any state or country," Governor Cuomo said. "We've been working with the federal government to increase the capacity of labs that process these diagnostic tests, and now we need more collection sites so we continue to ramp up our testing across the state. I am issuing an Executive Order allowing our state's 5,000 pharmacies to conduct diagnostic testing for COVID-19, which will greatly increase our testing capacity and allow us to expand eligibility for these tests to the frontline workers and essential employees who have been going to work and interacting with the public throughout this crisis."

Governor Cuomo Holds Briefing on COVID-19 Response

Finally, the Governor confirmed 10,553 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 282,143 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 282,143 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

CountyTotal PositiveNew Positive
Albany89994
Allegany354
Broome25119
Cattaraugus456
Cayuga478
Chautauqua270
Chemung10324
Chenango917
Clinton541
Columbia14011
Cortland283
Delaware587
Dutchess2,660143
Erie2,773170
Essex242
Franklin141
Fulton6132
Genesee14114
Greene10717
Hamilton30
Herkimer560
Jefferson591
Lewis90
Livingston5814
Madison12115
Monroe1,28586
Montgomery467
Nassau33,7981,033
Niagara34412
NYC155,1134,640
Oneida36441
Onondaga66425
Ontario829
Orange7,973818
Orleans7515
Oswego576
Otsego6010
Putnam885266
Rensselaer22123
Rockland11,0911,000
Saratoga32042
Schenectady431134
Schoharie3312
Schuyler70
Seneca3618
St. Lawrence15612
Steuben20433
Suffolk31,368762
Sullivan68961
Tioga7131
Tompkins1265
Ulster1,166190
Warren13210
Washington11330
Wayne6512
Westchester27,231598
Wyoming5714
Yates165

Contact the Governor's Press Office

Contact us by phone:

Albany: (518) 474 - 8418
New York City: (212) 681 - 4640

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