On Sunday, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York, the worst-hit state in the US, underwent a coronavirus test on live TV. According to him, he wanted to demonstrate how "fast and easy" the test is. The governor later shared the clip on Twitter with the caption: "It's quick, easy and painless. If I have time, you do too."
He announced that every New Yorker experiencing flu-like symptoms is now eligible to take the test.
"You have to be smart, united, disciplined; you have to love yourself, your family, New Yorkers," he said as a doctor in protective gown, gloves, mask and a face shield came to take his test. She asked him to close his eyes "for comfort" and inserted a nasal swab to take a sample.
"That is the whole test," he said. "If I am not here tomorrow, that means I tested positive," he joked, AFP reported. Although Cuomo has been tested for Covid-19 several times, this is the first time he did so on live television.
Several users were quite impressed with Cuomo, even asking him to run for the presidency and that the governor is doing everything to spread awareness which the president should have done. Others quipped that although he claimed that the test is "quick, easy and painless", he knows that it really hurts.
Others did not shy away from expressing their anguish, asking if he will also be lodged in a nursing home if he tested positive. In New York, as on May 16, a total of 2,928 confirmed COVID patients have died in nursing homes. If presumed deaths due to the coronavirus are added, the figure has topped 5,400, as per data released by New York's health department.
On Sunday, the total number of cases in New York reached 359,847 along with 28,325 fatalities, according to worldometers' tally.
