Oneida County To Offer Free COVID Testing On December 22

Oneida County will be offering free COVID-19 drive-thru testing at Griffiss International Airport in Rome beginning on December 22.

“Testing is a crucial part of fighting COVID-19, especially during the surge we are now experiencing,” Picente said. “While there are testing options available in the community, they are not adequately meeting the needs of the public. Throughout this pandemic, Oneida County Government has remained on the forefront of keeping its residents healthy and safe, and this new, free, all-ages drive-thru testing site will present a convenient, reoccurring option that will improve availability and speed of results.”

The COVID test offered by the county is the cheek swabbing method that is self-administered.

The following steps must be followed before arriving at the testing site:

•                    Those being tested should NOT eat or drink anything (except for water) within  30 minutes of reporting, including:
• ·                     Chewing gum
• ·                     Mints or lozenges
• ·                     Tobacco or smokeless tobacco products
•                      Mouthwash and toothpaste should NOT be used within one hour of testing.
•                      A New York State photo ID and health insurance card should be presented. Those without insurance can still be tested.

The testing will take place from 2:00 to 5:00 at 706 Hangar Road.

Appointments can be made at ocgov.net.

More county testing events will be added in the coming weeks.

Oneida County is reporting 511 new positive COVID-19 cases over the last three days four new COVID-related deaths.

That includes 240 cases on Friday, 131 on Saturday and 140 on Sunday.

There are now 1,859 active positive cases in the count, which has a positivity rate of 7.9 percent.

76 Oneida County residents are hospitalized.