Demand for COVID-19 tests skyrocket since Thanksgiving

Health officials across the Hudson Valley say they're seeing COVID-19 numbers that they haven't seen in months, with some places even seeing lines again to get a COVID-19 test.

News 12 Staff

Dec 17, 2021, 12:20 PM

Updated 1,028 days ago

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Health officials across the Hudson Valley say they're seeing COVID-19 numbers that they haven't seen in months, with some places even seeing lines again to get a COVID-19 test.
The Greenburgh Health Center is a part of the Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center Network. The network's CEO, Judith Watson says operations went from zero-to-60 right after the holidays.
They went from testing 20 to 30 people a day to 120 and vaccinating about 65 to more than 200 every single day since Thanksgiving.
She adds it's a combination of many factors -- some jobs now require their employees to get vaccinated, there's more community spread, and people are testing both before and after holiday gatherings.
Greenburgh resident Aida Lopez has had all three shots but found out she was exposed yesterday -- she's one of many who were tested Friday. "I am concerned that I might get it and I haven't gotten it at all period. So, if I got my three shots already, I didn't want to start all over again so I said let me go and see what happened," says Lopez
Test availability is the next concern as several reports say the Department of Health and Human Services projects the demand for tests could double or triple by the new year and are warning test-makers to make sure there's enough for everyone.
Officials at the Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center Network say they expect to see a surge of people getting tested and vaccinated after Christmas and the New Year holiday.