New Rapid Coronavirus Testing Site Opens In Astoria

ASTORIA, QUEENS — A new rapid COVID-19 testing site opened Friday in Astoria, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced.

The rapid antigen tests are available at the CVS Pharmacy at 30-97 Steinway St., courtesy of BioReference.

They will cost no more than $30, with results coming back in 30 minutes or less, Cuomo said.

"I believe testing is the key to accelerating the reopening of the economy," Cuomo told reporters Friday. "We're opening rapid testing sites as we speak."

The Astoria site is one of 11 new rapid testing sites that opened in New York City on Friday, with more sites to come, Cuomo said.

The tests are allowed under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's emergency use authorization but are considered less accurate than PCR-based tests, health experts say, because they are best at detecting COVID-19 when someone is at peak infection.

"A negative test result does not rule out the possibility of infection or mean that an individual is not at risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19," the governor's office said in a news release. "However, the initiative's screening and testing is another tool - in addition to the use of face coverings, social distancing, and other protocols - that can put New York State businesses on track to reopen more safely at higher capacities."