By Nelson A. King
Brooklyn Zellnor Y. Myrie
has led a joint letter with 23
Brooklyn elected officials in
calling on the Atlanta-based
Center for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) and
the manufacturer of testing
equipment to allow COVID-19
testing at SUNY Downstate
Health Sciences University
Hospital in Brooklyn.
The officials wrote that
“SUNY Downstate is prepared
to move forward with on-site
testing – with personnel and
certifications already in-hand
– but will require a COBAS
6800 testing machine, which
is subject to the Center for
Disease Control allocation
strategy.
“This equipment is critical
to the borough’s and Downstate’s
needs, and it would
allow more than 1,500 tests a
day to begin being processed
in Brooklyn,” wrote the elected
officials, copying the letter
to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“Further, we understand
that Downstate is also prepared
New York City
Schools
Account
schools.nyc.gov/nycsa
Caribbean L 6 ife, April 3-9, 2020
to develop a drive thru
testing site, which we believe
is also critically important
and timely,” they added.
“Director Redfield, as the
representatives for Downstate
and surrounding neighborhoods
across Brooklyn, we
remain available to you and
your team to assist in any way
possible with bringing on-site
testing to our borough, and we
look forward to learning more
about potential next steps,”
the legislators continued.
Besides Myrie, they comprised:
Assemblymembers
Diana Richardson, N. Nick
Perry, Charles Barron, Felix
Ortiz, Joseph Lentol , Latrice
Walker, Jo Anne Simon,
Helene Weinstein, Walter
Mosley, Peter J. Abbate, Jr.
and r Mathylde Frontus; Congressmembers
Yvette Clarke;
Nydia Velazquez , Jerold
Nadler and Hakeem Jeffries;
and State Senators Diane
Savino, Simcha Felder, Julia
Salazar, Andrew Gounardes,
Brian Kavanagh, Velmanette
Montgomery, Kevin Parker
and Roxane Persaud.
Myrie, who represents the
20th Senatorial District in
Brooklyn, said: “New York
is now the epicenter of the
COVID-19 outbreak, and we
are well behind where we need
to be on testing.
“In the midst of a public
health crisis, the fact that we
are unable to leverage Brooklyn’s
flagship teaching hospital
is unacceptable,” he added.
“Let’s cut the red tape and get
to work.”
Perry, the Jamaican-born
representative for the 58th
Assembly District in Brooklyn,
said on Saturday that
“Central Brooklyn is quickly
becoming the epicenter of the
pandemic.
“Yet, another day has passed
and the CDC has not responded
to SUNY Downstate Hospital’s
urgent request to begin
testing,” he said on his Facebook
page.
“I’m appealing to my colleagues
in government and
members of the media to
help bring testing where it is
University Hospital of Brooklyn on 448 Lenox Rd.
needed most,” he added. “How
many more Brooklynites have
to be turned away for tests?
How many more have to die?”
The next day, Perry wrote
that an unidentified representative
from a local hospital
told him that “masks right
now are one of their greatest
needs.
“To hear our ‘Embarrassment
in Chief’ imply that NYC
hospital workers are stealing
masks, and misusing them is
just deplorable, even by his low
standards,” said the assemblyman
clearly alluding to US
President Donald J. Trump.
Brooklyn pols call on CDC to allow
Covid-19 testing at SUNY Downstate
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Making Sense of the Census
This Census Day,
Let’s Mobilize
New York City
By Julie Menin, Director of NYC Census
2020.
Don’t be fooled — April 1st may have
a reputation for pranks, but it’s also one
of the most important dates for the 2020
Census. Why? Because April 1st is Census
Day.C
ontrary to popular belief, Census
Day is not the final day (or the only day)
that you can respond to the census. If you
haven’t filled it out yet, don’t worry, you
still have time (although there’s no time
like the present).
So what is Census Day? It actually
serves a practical purpose. To make sure
all our census data has a standard reference
point, everyone is asked to fill out the
census with information that reflects their
households at the same moment, April 1st.
This is why we can say the census is like a
snapshot of our communities.
But this Census Day, we’re also taking
time to recognize the importance of
the census. In these difficult times, many
of us are looking for ways that we can help
support our communities, and filling out
the census is one of the most vital ways to
help shape our future for the better. Now
more than ever, as we face the COVID-19
pandemic, we need a complete count so our
communities can get the funding we need
for hospitals & healthcare, as well as the
data we need to respond to emergencies.
And since we can do the census online, by
phone, or by mail, we can get counted while
practicing social distancing.
Join us and spread the word. New Yorkers
will be posting the Census Day challenge
online — and we need you involved.
It’s as easy as sharing your census story or
a picture on social media and tagging three
friends, challenging them to complete the
2020 Census and pass the challenge along
to another three people. (Visit nyc.gov/census
to learn more and follow the conversation
via the hashtag #GetcountedNYC). So
if you’ve been putting off any texts or meaning
to check in with anyone, let Census Day
be your push to reach out. Your community
will thank you for it.
So get counted, challenge your friends,
and let’s make it count.
“Making Sense of the Census” is a
weekly column from Julie Menin, Director
of NYC Census 2020. Every week we
will be publishing pieces from Julie and
guest authors laying out the facts and
answering tough questions about this
year’s census. Fill out the census now at
my2020census.gov.
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/my2020census.gov
