Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing Site Opens At Christopher Morley Park

ROSLYN, NY — Amidst surging coronavirus cases and demand for COVID-19 tests, Northwell Health has opened a new drive-thru testing site at Christopher Morley Park in Roslyn.

The facility, which opened Tuesday, operates weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. An appointment is required.

"Testing for COVID-19 remains the most effective way of identifying the virus, so we can help reduce the spread to others," Northwell Health said in a statement. "All New Yorkers who have symptoms, or were recently exposed to someone with COVID-19, should get tested."

Like the rest of the country, Long Island has seen an increase in new COVID-19 cases — largely fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant — during the holiday season.

Since early December, Long Island has seen a relatively steady increase in positive COVID-19 cases — with the highest number of infections (9,121) being recorded on Dec. 24.

For instance, according to New York State health department data, the number of confirmed cases jumped from 4,606 on Dec. 21 to 6,950 on Dec. 22. It jumped to 8,216 on Dec. 23 and once again on Dec. 24.

Here's a visual for the data. Fewer people tested positive between Dec. 25 and 28. It's also important to note that, during this time period, fewer people received a COVID-19 test.

The same data is included in this chart. But this is over a three-month period.

As a region, Long Island has the highest seven-day positivity rate in New York, with 16.3 percent, according to state data.