NYC Test & Trace Corps Now Offering At-Home Testing for All Contacts of COVID-19 Cases
New program brings testing to more New Yorkers to help stop the spread of the virus
Apr 15, 2021
All New Yorkers who have been in close contact with a COVID-19 positive case will now have access to at-home testing help stop the spread of the virus, the NYC Test & Trace Corps announced today. The new program offers at-home tests to all contacts, scheduled in advance and performed by a clinical professional, to make testing more convenient and accessible in every borough.
“Our testing infrastructure in New York City is built on a foundation of accessibility and convenience, and now with at-home testing for all contacts of COVID-19 cases, we are bringing testing to the doorstep of New Yorkers,” said Dr. Ted Long, Executive Director of the NYC Test & Trace Corps and Senior Vice President for Ambulatory Care and Population Health at NYC Health + Hospitals. “When any contact tests positive at home, our contact tracers will follow up with all the resources needed to break the chains of transmission in our communities.”
Starting this week, all New Yorkers who are close contacts of COVID-19 cases will be offered an at-home test during their intake interview with a contact tracer from the NYC Test & Trace Corps program. The test will be available to both the close contact and any household member, including children.
Contacts who accept the offer will receive a molecular PCR test administered by a trained clinician in their home at no cost. The clinical team will call to schedule the test within one day of when the contact requests the service and then the test will be performed the next day or the day following, depending on when the contact is available. Results will be returned within two days by text, e-mail or phone.
The NYC Test & Trace Corps began offering at-home tests to contacts in select high-need zip codes last month, and now the program is available to all contacts citywide. To date, the program has tested nearly 6,000 close contacts and their household members, with a positivity rate of 20.4%. Approximately 20% of contacts currently opt into the at-home testing program.
“Accessible and convenient testing for all New Yorkers is a powerful tool in our fight against COVID-19,” said Chris Keeley, Chief Operating Officer of the NYC Test & Trace Corps and Assistant Vice President in the Office of Ambulatory Care at NYC Health + Hospitals. “With the launch of at-home testing citywide, we can now reach contacts at high risk for transmission right at their doorstep, and connect them with resources at no cost to stop the spread of the virus in their communities.”