Rite Aid is ramping up its testing efforts at its stores across the nation. Over 50% of its locations feature drive-up testing, allowing pharmacies to perform some 5,000 tests daily. On Long Island, there are three locations where you can get tested, with or without symptoms of COVID-19.

Here are the locations:

Selden—229 Independence Plaza
Shirley—803 Montauk Highway, Unit D
Levittown—3131 Hempstead Turnpike

Tests are free to anyone 18 and older, but appointments are mandatory to get the self nasal swab. To get an appointment, you must fill out a questionnaire. Questions include whether or not you've traveled in the last 14 days, been in direct contact with someone who has tested positive, if you have a pre-existing condition and if you have symptoms of the coronavirus. Testing is available to those who believe the might be asymptomatic, but priority is given to those who need the test the most. You can fill out the questionnaire and get an appointment here.

The Rite Aid test is self administered, leading some to question its accuracy.

Dr. Robert Levy, of AFC Urgent Care, says he's concerned that patients won't swab correctly. He fears that in some cases that could produce a negative result when the patient is actually positive. 

"The false negatives are what harms folks because they think they don't have the virus and maybe they don't practice good social distancing because of that," says Levy.

Rite Aid says this is a new type of test that is less invasive than previous ones and that the pharmacist is always supervising.

Rite Aid isn't alone in its effort to ramp up coronavirus testing accessibility. Over the next two weeks, New York State will open testing sites at churches in low income communities across the state. The opening of the new locations comes as data revealed new hospitalizations are coming from zip codes with predominantly Latino and black populations.

Two locations will open in Nassau. One is at Union Baptist Church in Hempstead. The other is at First Baptist Cathedral in Westbury.

 

Cuomo: NY adding COVID-19 testing sites at 24 churches 

Rite Aid opens 2 new COVID-19 testing sites on Long Island 

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