Officials in New York are planning to distribute another 20 million at-home COVID tests in the coming months, adding to the 54 million already sent across the state since the beginning of the year, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday.
The distribution of tests will focus on the state's most vulnerable populations, with tests headed to schools, nursing homes and adult care facilities. Hochul also said the state would continue to partner with elected officials to get more tests out to the general public.
A large batch of these new tests, at least one million, are headed to schools outside of New York City. The governor explained that the city already has a sufficient stockpile to get schools through the end of the year.
And another 1.74 million tests, the state said, would go to the New York City Housing Authority. Those earmarked for NYCHA are said to be enough that each household receives four tests.
"While our numbers remain low, now is the time to ramp up the distribution of tests and build up our stockpile so we can bolster our preparedness for the future to protect our communities, and safely move forward through this pandemic," Hochul said in a statement Thursday.
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The state's effort to procure a healthy stockpile of at-home tests in the face of omicron's winter surge has landed more than 90 million kits in the hands of New York. More than half of those tests have already been handed out.
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Hochul's office said more than 54 million tests have been distributed to New Yorkers -- with 30 million to schools, 12.5 million to nursing homes and adult-care facilities, and 10 million to local officials for public distribution.
The state plans to keep another 20 million on hand "to help prepare for any potential surges later this year."
"As we've seen throughout the pandemic, test kits are a critical tool in the fight to stop the spread of COVID-19 and prevent exposure to others," the governor said.
