East Hampton will have an indoor Covid-19 test site as soon as next week.
George Dempsey, medical director of East Hampton Family Medicine, told The Star on Wednesday that a suite dedicated to testing for the novel coronavirus will open shortly after Christmas at the health care provider’s office at 200 Pantigo Place in East Hampton.
Dr. Dempsey said that his facility will offer both the antigen test and the PCR test. The former, commonly known as the rapid test, detects protein fragments specific to the coronavirus, with results available in minutes. The latter detects genetic material specific to the virus, with results typically available in one to three days.
Dr. Dempsey has discussed opening an indoor testing site for several weeks, but progress was slowed by delays in procuring equipment. He expected the hours of operation to be approximately 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. “If the volume goes up and we need to hire more, we will,” he said. He said that most tests will be covered by patients’ health insurance.
East Hampton Family Medicine has fielded many inquiries, Dr. Dempsey said, as to the availability of the Covid-19 vaccines that are in the first phase of distribution, but there is little certainty with respect to the rollout’s details.
New York State has established regional vaccination hubs to meet the logistical challenge of vaccinating millions of residents, with local hospital systems leading the regional hubs. Northwell Health Systems has been designated to administer Long Island’s regional vaccination hub. “Hopefully, in a couple of weeks we’ll have a more defined plan for Suffolk County,” Dr. Dempsey said.