Nassau buys virus tests but can't use them
The Nassau legislature on Monday approved transferring $2.3 million from money budgeted for employee fringe benefits to emergency management to buy supplies intended to combat the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than a thousand people on Long Island.
Some $825,000 was allocated to purchase Covid-19 test kits.
According to Newsday, Nassau was expected to begin administering 20,000 tests two days ago to county first responders and other employees exposed to the virus. Results were to be available within 15 minutes, county officials told Newsday.
But the head of the county's Civil Service Employees Association in an email to members Friday said those tests were not happening -- yet.
"We have just received notification from the Commissioner of Police that the previously announced "Rapid Tests" will not be administered at this time. Apparently, these tests were not FDA approved / clinically tested and therefore cannot be used at this time, " CSEA 830 local president Ron Gurrieri wrote.
Gurrieri added, "However, we still want to make sure that our members can get tested, therefore:
"Any Nassau County CSEA Local 830 Essential Employee (who is required to physically report to work - whether in the field or to a work location outside of their home) who is SYMPTOMATIC (fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc.) is eligible to receive one of the standard COVID-19 Tests. This test will be administered at NUMC."
He emphasized that members must be showing symptoms and must be considered essential workers before they called for a test. He said the procedures described did not apply to employees of the Nassau University Medical Center or the A. Holly Patterson Nursing home.
County Executive Laura Curran, who has been holding near daily briefings on the county's efforts to stop the virus, acknowledged at her news conference today, "There have been a lot of questions about rapid testing. Our priority of course is to protect our first responders, our employees. As reported we moved proactively to mass testing for our personnel. "
But she said, "We can’t move forward until those tests are validated and approved by the New York State Department of Health the Federal Drug Administration. When those validations come, we will be ready with protocols to do those tests and first responders will be first in line."
A Curran spokesman, as usual, did not respond to questions, this time about the testing situation.
Some $825,000 was allocated to purchase Covid-19 test kits.
According to Newsday, Nassau was expected to begin administering 20,000 tests two days ago to county first responders and other employees exposed to the virus. Results were to be available within 15 minutes, county officials told Newsday.
But the head of the county's Civil Service Employees Association in an email to members Friday said those tests were not happening -- yet.
"We have just received notification from the Commissioner of Police that the previously announced "Rapid Tests" will not be administered at this time. Apparently, these tests were not FDA approved / clinically tested and therefore cannot be used at this time, " CSEA 830 local president Ron Gurrieri wrote.
Gurrieri added, "However, we still want to make sure that our members can get tested, therefore:
"Any Nassau County CSEA Local 830 Essential Employee (who is required to physically report to work - whether in the field or to a work location outside of their home) who is SYMPTOMATIC (fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc.) is eligible to receive one of the standard COVID-19 Tests. This test will be administered at NUMC."
He emphasized that members must be showing symptoms and must be considered essential workers before they called for a test. He said the procedures described did not apply to employees of the Nassau University Medical Center or the A. Holly Patterson Nursing home.
County Executive Laura Curran, who has been holding near daily briefings on the county's efforts to stop the virus, acknowledged at her news conference today, "There have been a lot of questions about rapid testing. Our priority of course is to protect our first responders, our employees. As reported we moved proactively to mass testing for our personnel. "
But she said, "We can’t move forward until those tests are validated and approved by the New York State Department of Health the Federal Drug Administration. When those validations come, we will be ready with protocols to do those tests and first responders will be first in line."
A Curran spokesman, as usual, did not respond to questions, this time about the testing situation.
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