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New York To Expand Coronavirus Testing In Effort To Limit Spread

Don Pollard
/
Office of N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo
New York Governor Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announce the expansion of COVID-19 testing capacity in New York, at a news briefing Monday.

New York City has its first case of COVID-19, the disease the new coronavirus causes. Now state health officials have announced precautions to reduce its spread.

The unidentified patient worked in Iran and arrived in New York last Tuesday. 

The 39-year-old woman is a healthcare professional who officials say did not take public transportation and was likely not contagious while on her flight to New York. She has a mild case of the disease and will recover in her home.   

Health officials say she does not need to be hospitalized – 80% of infected people can likely recover on their own. People who already have health concerns are hospitalized.

Still, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says it is inevitable that the virus will spread.

“Our challenge now is to test as many people as you can. You’re not going to eliminate the spread, but you can limit the spread.”

The federal government approved New York for coordination with private hospitals and labs to test 1,000 people per day. 

Testing will begin on Friday with results expected within hours.

Read the latest on WSHU’s coronavirus coverage here.

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