NYAPRS Note: Saturday, Governor Cuomo announced that testing for the COVID-19 virus will be extended to a variety of first responder and essential workers (see below). Here’s more about that and some details around the Governor’s plans to ‘re-open’ sections of the state at a time.
New York Expands Coronavirus Testing to Pharmacies, Gov. Cuomo Says
By Sara Dorn and Laura Italiano New York Post April 25, 2020
Testing for the coronavirus will dramatically expand across New York under an executive order Gov. Cuomo announced Saturday — a critical element in the move toward eventually reopening the state.
The order allows independent pharmacies to offer walk-in diagnostic tests, and will initially be made available to first responders, medical workers and “essential employees” such as bus drivers, grocery store clerks and laundromat workers, who are “carrying the load” of the crisis, the governor said at his daily press briefing in Albany.
Pharmacy employees will administer the test swabs, and then send the samples out to any of the 300 state-approved labs for processing.
The tests — which will determine if someone is actively infected and typically take up to three days to yield results — will eventually be offered to the public at large.
“Hopefully, one day we get to the point where anybody who wants a test can walk in and get a test,” the governor said.
Allowing some 5,000 independent pharmacies to voluntarily offer screening for the virus will double the number of people tested daily, currently at 20,000, the governor said……
https://nypost.com/2020/04/25/new-york-expands-coronavirus-testing-to-pharmacies-cuomo/
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Cuomo Outlines Plan To Reopen New York in Phases
By Morgan McKay New York State Spectrum News April 26, 2020
“There is no doubt but that, we have at this point, gone through the worst, and as long as we act prudently going forward the worst should be over,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared during his Sunday press briefing.
Governor Cuomo announced that on May 15, a few businesses in specific regions in upstate New York will most likely be allowed to open with certain caveats.
Cuomo laid out a plan Sunday that would allow businesses to reopen in phases as long as there is a consistent decline in numbers for 14 days leading up to the date.
Phase one, will allow some construction and manufacturing companies to reopen in areas like Central New York, the North Country, and the Mohwak Valley in the middle of May.
“Those regions have seen lower numbers since day one,” Cuomo said.
These businesses will need to submit a plan to the state that will outline how they will protect their employees by providing personal protective equipment, limit capacity, clean their businesses, and even provide tests for or screen people coming in.
“These are things businesses can think about if they want to reopen quickly,” he said.
At the same time, Cuomo says the state will be ramping up antibody and diagnostic testing to monitor how or if the infection rate increases during this phase one reopening.
The state will then wait two weeks, and if numbers continue to decline, then the region will be allowed to move on to phase two.
Phase two will allow businesses to reopen that can prove that they are essential and maintain a lower risk of spreading the coronavirus.
“The way a business opens can determine its risk. We need them to be creative and think outside the box,” Cuomo said.
Cuomo used examples of sports games without audiences and drive in movie theaters.
Schools will most likely reopen at the end of phase two, Cuomo said. He explained that in order for businesses to reopen at a higher scale, then school will also have to reopen so children are not home alone while their parents work. He also said many schools are looking at the possibility of summer school.
But what is the caveat in all of this? Cuomo says the state needs to make sure nothing is reopened that will attract large groups of people to one area, creating a surge in cases that could threaten the healthcare system.
“You can’t do anything in any region that would increase the number of visitors to that region,” he said.
Right now the infection rate is at about .8 for the state and .9 for upstate. Cuomo says that when the infection rate rises to 1.2, then the hospital system becomes overwhelmed. He stressed the importance of monitoring each phase through testing, to make sure the infection rate does not rise.
“The numbers are on decline,” he said.
Once again the state saw a decline in the number of people hospitalized and intubated.
The number of people who passed away from the coronavirus in New York in the past 24 hours was still high at 367 people. There were 437 people the day before who died. The total number of coronavirus cases is now at 288,045.
From: Nyaprs <nyaprs-bounces@kilakwa.net> On Behalf Of Harvey Rosenthal
Sent: Saturday, April 25, 2020 12:30 PM
To: nyaprs@kilakwa.net
Subject: [NYAPRS Enews] Breaking: Cuomo Extends Testing to Broad Array of Human Services, BH/Healthcare Workforce
Cuomo Extends Testing to Broad Array of Human Services, Behavioral Health Workforce
NYAPRS E News April 25, 2020
Contact: Harvey Rosenthal 518-527-0564
At this morning’s daily news conference, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that New York now has sufficient COVID-19 testing capacity to extend eligibility for those tests beyond those who are symptomatic to include a broad array of first responders, front line healthcare workers and essential employees.
Some examples include:
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First Responders: fire fighters, police officers, paramedics, EMTs, correction/parole/probation officers,
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Frontline Health Care Workers including:
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Physicians, Nurses, Medical Specialists, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Residential Care program Managers, OT/PT/RT therapists
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Essential Employees including:
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‘Client facing’ Case Managers and Coordinators
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Child care workers
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Human Services Workers
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Social Workers
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Mental Health, Addiction, Youth, Vocational counselors
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Shelter Workers and Homelessness Support Staff
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Teachers
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Faith-based leaders
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“We are extremely grateful that New York has now reached the point where the health, behavioral health and broader human services workforce can now access testing that will help better protect the people we serve and the dedicated workforce we represent,” said Harvey Rosenthal, CEO, New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services. “Testing of this magnitude is a long awaited win-win for all New Yorkers, as all of us are both patients or practitioners at any one time.”
Great thanks are due to the extraordinary leadership of Governor Cuomo and for the courage and service of our dedicated healthcare, behavioral healthcare and broader human services workforce during these extraordinary times.”