Coronavirus in New York: who is at risk and who needs to be tested

In New York, a second case of coronavirus was discovered. In this regard, residents of the state may have various questions: when to get tested, where to do it and whether medical insurance covers such costs. Edition Lohud provides answers to these and other questions regarding COVID-19.

Free testing

New Yorkers are exempt from COVID-19 testing fees. In addition, insurance companies are obliged to inform residents of the city about the benefits available, provide medical advice and treat this disease.

Also, New Yorkers participating in the Medicaid program will not be required to pay extra for any tests related to COVID-19, state governor Andrew Cuomo said March 3.

Such measures were taken by the city authorities after a second case of this disease was recorded in a man from Westchester County in the Big Apple. The patient did not travel to China or other countries where the virus is now particularly active. This raises concerns that the disease is spreading in society.

For this reason, state health officials have decided to increase the number of coronavirus testing that is spreading rapidly throughout the United States. Recall that the number of cases in America reaches 100 cases, including six deaths in the state of Washington.

Confirmed Cases

The 50-year-old man, who lives in New Rochelle and works in Manhattan, has remained in a New York hospital and has “a major respiratory illness,” Cuomo said.

The first to fall ill is a 39-year-old resident of Manhattan, who recently returned from Iran. She traveled with her husband. Now the couple are in isolation at home.

Both cases have been confirmed at the Wadsworth laboratory in Albany. This happened a few days after New York received federal permission to test the virus in the state.

Currently, all COVID-19 tests that are conducted at Wadsworth's laboratory are fully covered by health insurance, confirmed the information about Cuomo's free testing.

Doctors expect a sharp increase in confirmed coronavirus cases this week. This is because state health laboratories and local public health laboratories are ramping up testing.

This was preceded by several weeks of delays caused by insufficiently high quality tests conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Other U.S. Cases

The case involving the Westchester man is similar to those previously identified in Washington. A Seattle-based researcher, citing genetic analysis, believes the virus has been circulating undetected in Washington state for six weeks. This means that a large number of people could become infected without leaving the state. “You take one of those situations and track possible infections, and you see the numbers are growing very quickly,” Cuomo said, referring to efforts to track potential infections associated with the Westchester case.

Critical to the early detection of a virus depends on testing capabilities. To that end, the state's Department of Health has begun collaborating with private laboratories, Cuomo said. “You don't have the ability to treat everyone,” the governor said on March 3, adding that New York City is currently capable of testing several hundred cases per day, but plans to increase the number of tests to 1000 per day soon.

In addition, state health officials are finalizing protocols that will determine who should be checked for coronavirus in the first place, Cuomo added.

The main symptoms of COVID-19

New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker has urged New Yorkers with colds, including those with coronavirus symptoms, to call medical facilities or see a doctor. “Use common sense: if someone is sick, he should talk to his healthcare professional,” he urged.

Common signs of a new coronavirus are fever, cough, shortness of breath, and shortness of breath. In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and death.

Priority testing is already underway for people with symptoms of the disease, and who have traveled to regions affected by the outbreak of the virus.

Recall that COVID-19 was first discovered in China, after which it quickly spread to dozens of countries, including recent outbursts in Italy and South Korea.

Where is the test for COVID-19

New York is testing COVID-19 at the Wadsworth Lab Albany State Laboratory. To expand the scope of testing, authorities also collaborate with private laboratories.

Currently, people who suspect they have coronavirus

will be treated at local medical facilities. These hospitals will send samples for testing to Wadsworth.

A man from Westchester County who was diagnosed with a disease was first treated at Lawrence Hospital in the Bronxville. He was later transferred to a Manhattan hospital, Cuomo said.

Hospital officials in Rochester noted: if someone with symptoms of a respiratory infection contacts UR Medicine's Strong Memorial Hospital, they will first have to take a seasonal flu test. If this test turns out to be negative, doctors will consider the issue comprehensively: in particular, they will find out whether the patient visited countries in which the outbreak of COVID-19 was recorded, or perhaps had a direct connection with someone who visited one of these countries. If so, the hospital will collect samples for testing and, through the local health department, will deliver them to Wadsworth Center for analysis.

On the subject: Coronavirus in New York: the first case of infection was confirmed in the city

In the case of patients who did not visit countries where the virus is in the active phase, Dr. Brenda Tesini, a junior hospital epidemiologist at Strong Memorial Hospital, said that they could still send the sample to the laboratory for testing. “We can always discuss with health officials cases that may not meet the most stringent definitions in order to find out a specific level of risk to determine if testing is warranted.”

Another encouraging news is that UR Medicine is working with government health officials to develop a test that could be done directly at the medical center, Tezini added.

What to do for those who do not have health insurance

For people who do not have health insurance, New York has rules based on the right to income and other factors. For more information about the costs of accessing health care, contact the State Department of Financial Services at (800) 342-3736 or visit dfs.ny.gov.

The governor also promised to amend the new state law on paid sick leave in the state budget for the fiscal year, which starts on April 1. This will protect employees who remain at home due to forced isolation or quarantine as a result of the virus from layoffs, the report said.