Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan announced today during his live Facebook briefing that Ulster County is now eligible to receive rapid testing machines and test kits which can deliver results in 15 minutes or less.
The county will be submitting its plan today to the New York State Department of Health to receive rapid testing machines and testing kits which will increase the county’s testing capacity. These kits will be employed to assist school districts, congregate care facilities, and other identified clusters. These rapid tests will be provided at the Ulster County Health Department through a drive-through system, and those tested will receive their results before they leave the site.
“Rapid response testing will help slow the spread of COVID-19 by expanding accessibility and improving our turnaround time, allowing us to instantly test key facilities and populations,” Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan said.
The state is making Abbott BinaxNOW and Abbott ID NOW test cards and machines and test kits available to local health departments as supply permits. Materials will be provided at no cost so long as testing is open to the public, offered free of charge, and prioritizes vulnerable and at-risk populations that may not currently have equitable access to testing.
Residents can find information about their nearest testing location and both walk-in testing sites and mobile testing sites by visiting https://covid19.ulstercountyny.gov/covid19-testing/.