The City of Hoboken is asking residents to limit COVID-19 testing to twice a month unless they’ve had a known exposure and/or are symptomatic as labs are overwhelmed.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Due to the record demand for testing, we are asking that residents and business staff to limit testing appointments through City-run sites to twice a month, unless there has been an exposure or symptoms exist,” Mayor Ravi Bhalla said in a Nixle alert yesterday.
“This will help ensure anyone who needs an appointment for testing can get one, as the entire region is impacted by a surge in demand with limited testing supply.”
The mayor acknowledged that Star Labs, who is processing results for PromptMD and Medicine Man Pharmacy and Compounding (city partners for testing), has seen delays due to the massive uptick in testing.
“Star Labs, which is processing the results, has indicated that they are working diligently to provide results as soon as possible with increased staffing levels to help meet the increased demand,” he wrote.
“We apologize for these delays and are strongly urging Star Labs to diligently rectify any delays in processing results and uploading them to residents as soon as possible.”
Yesterday, the city announced that this week’s council meeting would remain virtual only, cancelling earlier plans to allow limited in person participation, citing 1,599 positive COVID-19 tests in December – the largest amount since the pandemic began.
