Residents lined up at pharmacies around Huntington Tuesday to get tested for Covid-19.
Among the sites offering the test were Value Drugs in Greenlawn and Lantern Pharmacy on Wall Street in Huntington.
Several other drugstores posted “no testing” signs alongside notes reminding people to get their flu shots or offered their Covid-19 vaccines.
At Value Drugs, tests were administered on the loading dock next to the store while a handful of people waited their turn. At Lantern, about 15 people were lined up on the sidewalk about 1:30 p.m. People in both lines said they had waited 15-20 minutes.
Suffolk County also announced the addition of more rapid-testing sites:
Heckscher State Park, Field 8 (Opening on Wednesday, December 29th)
1 Heckscher State Parkway
East Islip
Open every Monday through Thursday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Testing Capacity: Up 1,000 tests a day
Red Creek Park (Opening Monday, January 3rd)
102 Old Riverhead Rd
Hampton Bays
Open for school-required testing and community testing
Open on Mondays only from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Testing Capacity: Up to 500 tests per day
Cathedral Pines County Park (Opening on Tuesday, January 4th)
116 Yaphank Middle Island Rd
Middle Island
Open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Testing Capacity: Up to 500 tests per day
“What we have learned so far is that the Omicron variant is highly transmittable and causing a spike in our daily positivity rate,” Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said. “Testing is one of the best tools we have when it comes to containing the spread of this virus. As we approach the New Year, these three new sites will provide quick and convenient results for our residents so that they can protect themselves and their loved ones.”
Long Island continues to have the highest average number of infections per day in the state.