The New York State-run COVID-19 testing site at the Center for Tomorrow building on North Campus closed last Friday, according to the university’s COVID-19 site. The clinic had the capacity to provide 200 tests per day and operated for just under three months.
The state opened the clinic, alongside similar testing sites at SUNY and private campuses across New York, in early January to address skyrocketing infection and caseloads rates during last winter’s Omicron wave. Gov. Kathy Hochul said colleges and universities were “obvious” locations for testing centers, citing their pre-built infrastructure for mass testing, during a press briefing in Rochester on Jan. 3.
The clinic’s closure comes as states across the country scale down their mass testing and vaccination measures, according to The New York Times.
UB has 42 cases of COVID-19 and a 1.01% positivity-rate based on a 14-day rolling average as of Friday, according to SUNY’s COVID-19 dashboard.
An average of 3,848 cases per day were reported in New York State over the last seven days, representing a 58% increase in cases compared to the average two weeks ago, according to The New York Times.
A similar state-run testing site at Buffalo State College is still operational. UB students and members of the general public can schedule appointments here.
Testing appointments at pharmacies across the state can be found on the state’s COVID-19 test site finder.
Grant Ashley is a senior news/features editor and can be reached at grant.ashley@ubspectrum.com
Grant Ashley is the editor in chief of The Spectrum. He's also reported for NPR, WBFO, WIVB and The Buffalo News. He enjoys taking long bike rides, baking with his parents’ ingredients and recreating Bob Ross paintings in crayon. He can be found on the platform formerly known as Twitter at @Grantrashley.
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
