Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that the city’s 11 public hospitals [NYC Health + Hospitals] will offer free antibody testing for first responders on the frontlines of the COVID-19 epidemic.
The testing is being offered through a partnership with the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The testing will be for any healthcare worker or first responder across the FDNY, DOC, NYPD, and hospitals citywide.
“Our first responders have worked around the clock to keep New Yorkers safe from the virus,” said de Blasio. “While antibody tests are not a fix-all solution, they will give our heroes the knowledge and confidence they need to help us defeat the virus.”
Antibody testing will not be used to determine whether employees can work. Test results are confidential and will not be shared with an employee’s work supervisor or Occupational Health Services (OHS) unless employees choose to disclose this information. At full capacity, approximately 400 employees can be tested at each acute hospital each day.
