Ok, folks. Here's the latest as of Dec. 28th from the Department of Education (full letter here):
"COVID-19 Testing Before Returning on January 3:
- To keep our school communities safe upon everyone’s return to school buildings, we strongly encourage that all students get tested for COVID-19, through a PCR, lab-based rapid test, or a home test kit, before returning to school on January 3, regardless of vaccination status. For a list of testing sites, including sites with at-home rapid tests, call 212-COVID19, visit http://nyc.gov/covidtest, or text "COVID TEST" to 855-48, or call 311 to find a nearby testing site. The Department of Health andMental Hygiene (DOHMH) continues to open new testing sites, so please check back often for updates.
- Additionally, many pharmacies and doctor’s offices may be offering COVID-19 testing. Please check with your pediatrician’s office or local pharmacy to see if you can schedule a test."
With what has seemed like a dearth of available COVID tests paired with delayed results, the city has thankfully ramped up testing sites. Here's a round up of websites to help you figure out what's available:
NYC COVID-19 Citywide Information Portal: http://nyc.gov/covidtest
- The map is provided and maintained by Castlight: COVID-19 Resource Center.
- Not all testing sites listed are affiliated with the NYC Test & Trace Corps, and some may charge for testing.
- Call the testing site before you go.
LabQ locations, hours, available tests: https://labq.com/covid-mobile-testing/
NYC Health & Hospitals walk-in testing sites: https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/covid-19-testing-sites/
- Click sidebar links for mobile testing sites, brick-and-mortar sites, and micro sites with saliva-based PCR
Our family had a good experience last week at the NYC Health & Hospitals micro site at Building 92 in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. You can fill out their form just before arrival which takes about 5 minutes. Just inside the doors of Building 92, you can pick up a saliva-based testing kit and scan the QR code so it's attached to your contact information. Head outside to collect your saliva sample (don't drink/eat anything 30 minutes prior to the test). Then bring the sample back inside to the dropbox and you're done. Important notes: this test is intended for ages 4 years old and above, so you'll have to go elsewhere with your littlest ones. They say the results come back in 24 hours, but that was not our experience. It took 3 full days to receive our results. I recommend getting tested no later than end of today to get the result back in time for 1/3, though it is possible they now have sped up the results turnaround. Here are their hours this week: Wednesday 12/29; Friday 12/31 8am-1:30pm; Sunday 1/2 8 am – 4 pm.
Additional notes:
- Don't forget to check with your pediatrician for testing opportunities.
- At-home Antigen test kits have been replenished at many pharmacies. Call your local pharmacy to see if they're back in stock.
- For future testing needs, check out Pixel (insurance-covered) or Vault Health (out-of-pocket, saliva-based) for at-home, send-away PCR results. Despite results delays, their turnaround time is still only 24-48 hours once you send back the test kit. We try to keep an at-home test kit available for use at all times.
Good luck on your testing efforts, folks. And best wishes for a healthy return to school next week! 🤞
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