Health & Fitness
Coronavirus Drive-Through Testing Sites To Open In 5 NJ Counties
Five more counties will be getting coronavirus testing sites as the outbreak continues throughout the state.
NEW JERSEY — Five more counties will be getting coronavirus testing sites as the outbreak continues throughout the state.
Expected locations for these sites will be Burlington, Essex, Hudson, Ocean and Union counties, officials said during a press conference at Bergen County Community College on Friday.
Specific towns for sites were not provided, but Bioreference Laboratories Executive Chairman John Cohen said they expect to gave them up and running “in the next week or so.”
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Bioreference is the Bergen County-based testing center that is actively working to help expand testing throughout the state, according to Gov. Phil Murphy.
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On Monday, officials announced the opening of two FEMA assistance centers, where people can be tested. One opened on Friday at Bergen County Community College, where the press conference was held. The other was set to open at PNC Arts Center in Holmdel at 8 a.m. Monday.
As of Saturday, there were 1,337 total cases in the state, including 16 deaths. Officials expect the number of cases to rise as more testing becomes available. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know
Officials in Camden County have said they would like to set up a drive-through site at the community college, but are being inhibited by a lack of available testing.
“The Freeholder Board and the Camden County Health Department are determined to establish a drive-thru testing site at Camden County College, unfortunately, the national shortage of coronavirus test kits and personal protective equipment (PPE) are inhibiting our ability to get the site operational," Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said. "At both the federal and state level, test kits are being primarily sent to high priority areas that have already seen a large number of cases. While we are working to secure test kits on our own, the demand is simply far greater than the current available supply."
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