New York City, New Jersey Working On Ways To Shorten COVID-19 Testing Lines
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- With growing demand for COVID-19 testing, there has been growing frustration over long lines.
As CBS2's Kevin Rincon reported Monday, there's a push on to change all of that.
As cases continue to spike, so has the demand for testing.
"It has led to lines as long as eight hours," City Councilman Mark Levine said.
Levine said more help is needed.
"We have to expand collection sites. We should have mobile sites, pop-up sites, home-testing kits. Every doctor's office should have point-of-care testing. We have to push fast on every one of these fronts to solve this bottleneck," Levine said.
MORE: COVID Testing In NYC: New Yorkers Waiting In Long Lines At Urgent Care Centers Across City
As they push for those solutions, many people have been left frustrated and Mayor Bill de Blasio said his administration knows.
"Obviously, we're having a particularly intense moment because people are preparing for the holidays," de Blasio said.
And because of that crush of demand, not just here but everywhere, they're getting stretched thin.
"You need the test materials. There's staffing. There's processing. At any given moment you can only go so far, but we're trying to constantly push farther to see how much more we can do each day," de Blasio said.
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
- Explanation Of N.Y.'s Yellow, Orange, Red Zones (.pdf)
- Health Experts Stress Need To Fight 'Mask Exhaustion'
- Tri-State Area Coronavirus Travel Advisory List
- CBS2's Dr. Max Answers Your Health Questions
- Resources: Unemployment, Hunger, Mental Health & More
- Remote Learning Tools For Parents Teaching At Home
- Complete Coronavirus Coverage
In New Jersey, officials are moving to open more testing sites like there were at the height of the pandemic, with new sites opening this week in Union County and South Jersey.
"There are more than 400 testing sites available across our state. You can find one by going to that website, covid19.nj.gov/testing," Gov. Phil Murphy said.
MORE: Fearful Of COVID-19 Resurgence, New Jerseyans Braving Cold, Long Lines For Testing
It's those public sites, whether they are in New Jersey or in the city, that are often your best bet.
"We encourage people, think beyond CityMD. It's not your only option and, frankly, probably not your best option right now," Levine said.
One thing local leaders are calling for is more help from the federal government. They all say they're short on the money and supplies needed to handle this second wave.
