Hell's Kitchen COVID Rates Jump Amid Omicron: Where To Get Tested

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — The surge in COVID-19 that is gripping New York City has not spared Hell's Kitchen, where positive cases have jumped in recent days to their highest level in months, according to city data.

In all of Hell's Kitchen's three ZIP codes, the percentage of residents who tested positive during the week that ended Saturday was above 8 percent — the highest figure since at least early September, and likely earlier than that.

That positivity rate puts Hell's Kitchen around the middle of the citywide pack. By another metric, Hell's Kitchen stands out: when ranked by positive tests per 100,000 people, Hell's Kitchen's 10036 ZIP code is highest in the city, with an average of 3,164 between Dec. 12-18.

A total of 1,135 Hell's Kitchen residents tested positive during that recent week, as the city broke its all-time case record multiple days in a row. (Though testing was limited during the pandemic's early days.) Health officials have made clear that the highly contagious omicron variant is a major factor in the spread, now making up 92 percent of the city's new cases.

Still, despite the alarming surge, the city's hospitals are not yet being overwhelmed by patients, giving rise to some cautious optimism that this variant could cause less severe illness than the delta variant.

"The severity is not what it was at all with respect to delta or even our early variants of this," Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday.

Where to get tested

As anxiety spreads about the uptick in cases, long lines have grown outside testing centers, and some New Yorkers have reported being unable to find anywhere to get tested.

Below, find a list of testing sites open in and near Hell's Kitchen, according to the city's official map.

• Chelsea Health Center, NYC COVID Express: 303 Ninth Ave., at West 28th St.
  • Must be booked in advance
• Times Square testing site, Health + Hospitals: 701 Seventh Ave., between West 47th and 48th streets
  • Open Monday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. (closed on Christmas)
• Speedy Sticks (347-292-9570): 605 West 42nd St., between 11th and 12th avenues
• Medrite Walk-In Urgent Care - Midtown West (212-695-4444): 521 West 42nd St., between 10th and 11th avenues
• CityMD Urgent Care (646-518-0159): 345 West 42nd St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues
• Expert Medical Diagnostics (212-203-6957): 324 West 47th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues
• Esco Drug Company (212-246-8169): 847 Ninth Ave.., between West 47th and 48th streets
• Total Health & Wellness Medical Center (917-634-6063): 345 West 48th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues
• Statcare Urgent & Walk-In Medical Care (Midtown Manhattan) (917-310-3371): 715 Ninth Ave., at West 49th Street
• Dr. Karen E. Thornton (212-581-7767): 344 West 51st St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues
• Venistat Mobile Labs (929-529-7799): 353 West 48th St. Suite 450, between Eighth and Ninth avenues
• CityMD Urgent Care (212-315-2230): 315 West 57th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues
• Quest Diagnostics (866-697-8378): 331 West 57th St. ground floor, between Eighth and Ninth avenues

If you know of other testing locations in the neighborhood or encounter problems with any of these, let us know in the comments below.