New Harlem COVID Testing Site Opens On 125th Street

HARLEM, NY — Good news for Harlemites who have spent hours waiting in COVID-19 testing lines in recent days: a new state-run site is set to open in the heart of Central Harlem.

The new site opened Wednesday at the State Office Building on 125th Street near Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard. Appointments can be booked online to reserve a time to get tested — hopefully giving residents the chance to avoid the hourslong lines that have plagued other sites.

As of Thursday afternoon, slots were booked up through Jan. 4 but open starting Wednesday, Jan. 5.

Open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., the state-run site was announced last week by Gov. Kathy Hochul along with a dozen other new testing locations in areas around the state seeing high demand amid the omicron surge.

"To get through this winter surge and protect New Yorkers, we will use every tool at our disposal," Hochul said in a statement. "By mobilizing testing sites throughout the state, we will make sure testing is more accessible and convenient for New Yorkers."

Coronavirus rates have jumped in Harlem since mid-December as the contagious omicron variant sweeps the city. Hospitalizations have risen, especially among children, though they remain well below the levels seen in the spring of 2020.

Besides the new site, dozens of other COVID testing locations are open across Harlem, including neighborhood drugstores, city-run sites and urgent care clinics.

To book an appointment at the new 125th Street site, visit appointments.bioreference.com/nystatecovidtesting.