To increase detection of coronavirus, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone announced that additional testing sites will be set up in North Amityville and Wyandanch.
This announcement comes soon after data was released by the New York State Department of Health showing that a disproportionate number of COVID-19 cases have occurred in African-American and Hispanic communities.
Wyandanch is 59.5% Black and 34.1% Hispanic. North Amityville is 55.6% Black and 34.8% Hispanic.
Brentwood has the highest number of cases at 1,481 and is 66.7% Hispanic and 14.6% Black. Central Islip, which is 45.6% Hispanic and 27.2% Black, has the second highest number of cases at 756.
New testing sites have been set up at the Brentwood Recreational Center as well as Huntington High School and the county center in Riverhead.
Suffolk County alone is up to 20,321 cases alone, but in some good news, Bellone said the rate of hospitalizations have slowed down. At the same time, he urges the public to remain disciplined and not be to quick to rush back into normal activities.
“The things we’ve been doing have helped slow it down, but we have to eliminate this,” said Bellone during a press conference. “The last thing we want to see is because we take our foot off the pedal, the numbers start to spike again.”
The new testing sites are set to open on Thursday, April 16 in the at HRHCare Health Care Centers on Sunrise Highway in North Amityville and Straight Path in Wyandanch.
Check the flyer below for more details.
