Antibody Testing in Lower-Income Communities

Continues Partnership with Ready Responders to Expand Testing from 8 to 40 Public Housing Sites Across NYC

State is Partnering with SOMOS to Establish 28 Additional Testing Sites at Churches and Community-Based Providers in Predominately Minority Neighborhoods; Total of 72 Faith-Based Testing Sites in Partnership with Northwell Health & SOMOS

Directs All Local Governments to Expand Testing in Low-Income Communities and Develop Outreach Programs

Religious Gatherings of No More Than 10 People and Drive-In and Parking Lot Services Will Be Allowed Statewide Beginning Thursday, May 21st

State is Convening Interfaith Advisory Council to Discuss Proposals to Safely Bring Back Religious Services

Announces Finalists for Wear a Mask New York Ad Contest; New Yorkers Can Vote Through Memorial Day at WearAMask.ny.gov

Confirms 1,525 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State – Bringing Statewide Total to 354,370; New Cases in 42 Counties

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the results of the state’s antibody testing survey at churches in lower-income New York City communities and communities of color show 27 percent of individuals tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies, compared with 19.9 percent of New York City’s overall population. The data was collected from approximately 8,000 individuals and shows high positive rates and continued high community spread in these low-income communities.

To address these continued high infection rates in low-income and minority communities, Governor Cuomo announced the state is continuing its partnership with Ready Responders to expand testing from eight to 40 public housing developments across New York City. The state is also partnering with SOMOS to establish 28 additional testing sites at churches and community-based providers in predominately minority communities, for a total of 72 faith-based testing sites in the state in partnership with Northwell Health and SOMOS. The state will also work to stop community spread in these neighborhoods by increasing PPE availability, providing hand sanitizer, enforcing social distancing and expanding public health and education in these communities.

Governor Cuomo also directed all local governments to expand testing in low-income communities and develop outreach programs to help address the disparities in these communities.

The Governor also announced that beginning Thursday, May 21st, religious gatherings of no more than 10 people will be allowed statewide where strict social distancing measures are enforced and all participants wear masks. Additionally, drive-in and parking lot services will also be allowed beginning Thursday.

All across the country, low-income and predominately minority communities are still seeing an increase in the numbers.Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

The Governor also announced the state is convening an Interfaith Advisory Council to discuss proposals to safely bring back religious services. A list of the members of the Interfaith Advisory Council is available here.

The Governor also announced the five finalists for the Wear a Mask New York Ad Contest, which was launched by the Governor on May 5th and is being overseen by his daughter Mariah Kennedy Cuomo, asked New Yorkers to create and share a video explaining why New Yorkers should wear a mask in public. Over the past two weeks, the state collected more than 600 submissions from New Yorkers across the state. New Yorkers can vote for the winning ad until Monday May 25th at WearAMask.ny.gov. The winning ad will be announced on Tuesday, May 26th, and that ad will be used as a public service announcement.

«All across the country, low-income and predominately minority communities are still seeing an increase in the numbers and are suffering the most from this virus,» Governor Cuomo said. «We did a very extensive research project and found that this is true in New York City where the percent of individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 was much higher in lower income communities than the general population. The data also shows not just a high number of positive cases, but that the spread is continuing in those communities and that is where the new cases are coming from. So we did the research and we have the data, but now we must implement aggressive, targeted strategies in these highly impacted communities to help address these disparities.»

Finally, the Governor confirmed 1,525 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 354,370 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 354,370 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

CountyTotal PositiveNew Positive
Albany1,68227
Allegany440
Broome4367
Cattaraugus701
Cayuga680
Chautauqua501
Chemung1340
Chenango1180
Clinton940
Columbia3500
Cortland360
Delaware690
Dutchess3,72414
Erie5,13194
Essex340
Franklin180
Fulton1842
Genesee1842
Greene2151
Hamilton50
Herkimer931
Jefferson710
Lewis180
Livingston1110
Madison29232
Monroe2,46589
Montgomery750
Nassau39,36873
Niagara85813
NYC194,550729
Oneida80217
Onondaga1,71853
Ontario17018
Orange10,04355
Orleans1713
Oswego901
Otsego670
Putnam1,1689
Rensselaer4539
Rockland12,83133
Saratoga4382
Schenectady6332
Schoharie480
Schuyler100
Seneca521
St. Lawrence1953
Steuben2371
Suffolk38,41184
Sullivan1,2679
Tioga1141
Tompkins1453
Ulster1,5716
Warren2350
Washington2211
Wayne1035
Westchester32,517115
Wyoming790
Yates348

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