Residents line up to pick up free at-home COVID-19 test kits at a distribution site in Corona, Queens. (NY1/Eduardo Velarde)
NYC to distribute free COVID-19 test kits at sites in each borough
By Spectrum News Staff New York City
UPDATED 12:25 PM ET Dec. 23, 2021 PUBLISHED 10:53 AM ET Dec. 23, 2021 PUBLISHED 10:53 AM EST Dec. 23, 2021
NEW YORK — New York City will hand out free at-home COVID-19 test kits at sites in each of the five boroughs on Friday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
New Yorkers will be able to pick up Binax rapid COVID-19 tests at the following sites beginning at 9 a.m., de Blasio announced on Twitter:
The Bronx: Bryan Park at the corner of E. Fordham Road and E. Kingsbridge Road in Fordham Manor
Brooklyn: The corner of Church Avenue and Flatbush Avenue in Flatbush
Manhattan: The corner of West 125th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard in Harlem
Queens: The corner of Jamaica Avenue and 92nd Street in Woodhaven
Staten Island: The St. George Ferry Terminal at 1 Bay Street
Each site will hand out 2,000 kits, the mayor noted. The city is also handing out free at-home test kits at its COVID-19 testing sites.
The push to distribute test kits accompanies the opening of several new testing sites across the five boroughs. The city started handing out free kits at several new sites on Thursday.
Many New Yorkers have been unable to find at-home COVID-19 test kits in stores. Chains including Walgreens and CVS earlier this week limited the number of test kits customers are allowed to purchase at once, citing dwindling supplies and high demand.
New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi on Thursday said New Yorkers should take the city's evolving COVID-19 response into account as the omicron variant spreads.
Appearing on "Mornings On 1," Chokshi said the city will be receiving more self-test kits to distribute around the city. But while the at-home kits will help alleviate the long lines for a COVID-19 test, he said there is a trade-off.
"They don't show up in our surveillance data in the same way a PCR or other lab based test does," Chokshi said. "So there is that downside. But overall as the health commissioner, I would say the public health benefit of widespread availability to testing and being able to do that as rapidly as possible, the benefits outweigh any downsides."
Chokshi is staying on as health commissioner until mid-March under Mayor-elect Eric Adams. He said he was honored to see the city through this latest COVID-19 wave. Dr. Ashwin Vasan will take over after that.