Broome Executive Touts Rapid Testing for Controlling COVID Spread

Broome County Executive Jason Garnar says a key to containing the spread of the coronavirus is to quickly identify positive cases and get those people out of the main stream. The County’s mobile rapid-testing bus has played a large role in improving that effort.

The county made modifications to a Broome County Transit bus and set up a rapid testing site on Binghamton’s West side at the beginning of October after that neighborhood was identified by New York State as a coronavirus hotspot.

Since then, the bus has moved around the county to locations like the Town of Union, Johnson City, Town of Dickinson, Whitney Point, Kirkwood and the North Side of Binghamton. The retrofitted BC Transit bus has been at the Health Department on Front Street in Binghamton this week. It will be at the Vestal Library the week of December 7.

Testing is done Monday through Friday from 1 to 7 p.m. by appointment for residents who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.  Appointments can be made at gobroomecounty.com or by calling 211.

Garnar says those appointments have been filled quickly at each location as the bus has moved around the county.