At the beginning of the year, at the peak of COVID infections in the Big Apple, due to the omicron variant, where more than 47, positive cases in a single day, see long lines of New Yorkers waiting for hours at sidewalk stands and vans offering free antigen and PCR tests became part of the landscape in the five boroughs.
And although the city currently has a percentage of infections greater than 8.33% and a medium level of alertness, New Yorkers like Aida Hernández have been surprised that the vast majority of testing sites on the streets no longer offer the free COVID test.
Now the rule is to pay figures that range between $100 and the $300, unless the person requesting the proof can present a medical insurance card, and documents that certify that they live in the Big Apple. Tourists have to pay.
“A few days ago I started to have symptoms: dry cough, headache and loss of smell, so I came to the Steinway stand where they have always done the tests for free and now I find that they can no longer do the test without paying and they tell me that I must have medical insurance”, commented the frustrated Colombian from 26 years old, who claimed to have neither the money nor the insurance for the test , so he had to go home without knowing if he had COVID or not.
And it is that, as revealed by one of the medical assistants who takes tests in one of the booths on the populous avenue in Astoria, Queens, the order for several weeks is that whoever does not have medical insurance that covers the test, put their hand in their pocket.
“It is that the Government is no longer paying these companies for the tests we do, then there is no other option but to charge . In addition, we also saw that there were many tourists who wanted to have the proof to travel for free, and that is why we are also asking for any document or identification that they live in the United States”, said the woman.
Francisco Gómez, who went to one of the vans that parks near the Steinway subway entrance, found the same news and regretted that people like him, without resources to pay for a test or medical insurance, can now have the benefit of accessing this type of rapid test, which helped contain the rise of the virus in the winter.
“I know that the cases they have dropped a lot compared to January and February, but the COVID has not gone away, so it seems very worrying to me that they take away this free testing option from the poorest and most undocumented people,” said the Mexican, adding that in said test stations do not accept the passport of your country.
But in the midst of the complaints of New Yorkers before this The novelty, which removes the option of taking the test in any corner, since private providers literally deployed posts throughout the Big Apple, health authorities clarified what is happening and warned that free tests have not been finished in public places and hospitals.
“What is happening is the result of a federal problem, because Congress no longer provided these emergency funds and some service providers are now charging for the tests, since the federal government no longer reimburses those providers for those services. ”, New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan commented in dialogue with El Diario.
The Adams Administration official, however, reiterated that the Big Apple is completely ready to carry out the necessary tests at no cost and invited them to approach public hospitals or call the line 300 to find out about free testing locations and can also order test kits that will be sent to homes.
“In all City sites and Health and Hospitals hospitals we continue to do daily tests totally free and we do not ask for documentation or immigration status. So we are ready to help anyone who wants to know if they have COVID and if that is the case we can supply them with medicine,” added Vasan. “I want to emphasize that these free tests are for all New Yorkers from all over the city and also for tourists. You can go anywhere in this city, without documents and without charge, and there are places to take home tests and they are also free. We are prepared to do all the tests that people need”.
The Department of Health reiterated that it is the City’s commitment to carry out free tests regardless of whether or not they have health insurance and without asking for immigration status. These tests are offered through personal physicians, pharmacies, municipal government locations, including DOHMH mobile testing units.
NYC Test + Trace claimed to have distributed more than 16, 5 million home tests to New Yorkers in the last month and more than 33 millions of tests since last January, to help keep New Yorkers home when they are infected.
Where to get tested free in New York City?
COVID-19 in New York in numbers
- Medium is the current alert level in the Big Apple
- 8.50% is the percentage of cases current positive
- 2,888 daily cases show evidence reported
- 5 are the current daily COVID deaths
- 7,312,971 New Yorkers, which is equivalent to 87.7 % of the entire population, has at least one dose of the vaccine
- 6,570,286 New Yorkers, meaning the 78.8%, has scheme full vaccination
- 3,240,004, namely, 38.9%, has the booster dose
- $100-$0233 it may cost a COVID test with some private providers
- 311 is the line to call to request free home COVID tests
282810033 Daily COVID-related hospitalizations have averaged each day