New York state government is partnering with local churches to make coronavirus testing more accessible for communities of color.
“We must address the racial disparities of this pandemic, and meet the need where it is,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said at a press event Saturday morning, according to NBC.
A nonprofit health care network, Northwell Health, will aid the state in opening over 20 temporary testing locations inside churches residing in communities of color beginning on May 12.
Cuomo reported that numbers of hospitalizations and intubations on ventilators continue to decline in New York, but added that the majority of new cases have an uptick in minority communities.
“Of the 21 zip codes with the most new COVID-19 hospitalizations, 20 have greater-than-average black and/or Latino populations,” Cuomo said.
As of Saturday afternoon, New York State has over 330,000 confirmed cases of the virus, with over 21,000 deaths.