When we started fighting the Corona virus here in the city, we said we needed the federal help with testing.

It never came.

We have scoured the world looking for test kits on the open market.

It's been extraordinarily frustrating.

We've had so many good people searching everywhere just to buy the test kits to get a reliable supply.

It has not been possible.

So over months now, the place we turn to for help Washington, D.

C.

We never got a straight answer.

We never got a consistent approach.

And we wondered when with the day comes that we could actually get the test kits we need so we could start on that road that talked about few days ago from this widespread transmission, the Corona virus to low level transmission.

Eventually, no transmission.

To get there, you must have testing in large quantities, and we knew that as recently as yesterday we did not know when and where we would get those test kits.

Now we've had one break through on the open market and then another breakthrough right here in New York City, and I'm so excited to tell you about this.

Our friends from Carmel, Indiana.

I talked about them a few days ago.

They donated test kits.

Ah, biotech firm.

They're donated test kits to us.

But now they have confirmed they can produce them regularly for New York City.

So, on top of their donation of 50,000 kits, which were so appreciative for Aria Diagnostics, Carmel, Indiana is now going to be producing test kits from New York City.

We will be purchasing them starting Monday, April 20th.

It's coming Monday will be purchasing 50,000 full test kits per week from Aria Diagnostics.

I'm sure New Yorkers wouldn't have thought that the cavalry would come from Carmel, Indiana.

But it has.

This is going to be a big piece of the solution going for we're gonna get a whole lot more.

I want to be clear, because to really get to that point where there's no more transmission, we're gonna need a huge number of test kits.

But even being able to know, we can rely on 50,000 week from ah supplier that we believe in.

Uh, that's gonna be a major major step forward for this city.

I want to thank Mayor Jim Brainard of Carmel, Indiana.

I've gotten to know over the last few years very well.

The U.

S.

Conference of Mayors.

He and I are on the leadership of that body, and he has been extraordinary friend and ally and really stepped up for New York City.

So Mayor Brainard again, thank you.

Thank you to everyone in Carmel.

Thank you to Aria Diagnostics.

This is a big step, so that's 50,000 per week.

But we need a lot more.

And remember a test kit and I talked about this a few days ago.

I used the analogy of a cup of coffee with cream and sugar.

You need the coffee beans, you need the water.

You need the cream.

You need the sugar.

You need the coffee mug.

Putting together the full test kit takes three basic components.

The nasal swab, the liquid solution.

That's what you keep the sample in.

It's called a viral transport medium and a tube with a screw top that keeps the sample secure and sanitary.

You need all three of those things to perform a test for the Corona virus, and then, of course, you have to get that test to a lab that then processes it.

So we're talking right now about just collecting the test itself from an individual whole.

Another part of the equation is continuing to increase the capacity and labs to process these tests and give us the answer person by person, positive or negative again.

We have to do that on a mass scale going forward.

But to get these three parts together so you can collect the test for someone.

Well, that's you can't get the first base unless you have the actual test that you can collect from people.

So needing those three pieces was crucial again.

Our efforts to get them consistently from Washington see no result.

Our efforts can from the open market never could get a reliable partner until today with our diagnostics.

So as we went through these last days, ah, and saw New York City Cos.

Stepping up our local government particular Economic Development Corporation, bringing together partners from the private sector, figure out how we could do surgical gowns, figure out we have to face shields started if you are other equipment that we need to build, and we'll have announcements on that to constantly figuring out new ways to support our hospitals and get them to supplies and equipment they need.

Maur Maur What's happened is the members of our team here, City Hall, economic develop, corporations and companies and even universities.

Now all of talking about what can we produce here?

How can we do it more and more?

How can we do?

Things have never been done in New York City.

So just a few days ago, people started saying, Wait a minute, we could make all these other things Could we say no matter what's going on the international market, no matter what's going on in Washington, could we actually make the test kits here?

There's nothing like it in New York City being made right now.

Nothing even close.

But could we make him here if we just threw in the kitchen sink and tried all the ingenuity that exists in this city?

At first, of course, we didn't know what the answer would be.

We had to pull together a lot of smart people to figure out.

Could it be done?

Could it be done quickly enough?

Could it be done?

The quantities that we need it and we thought about what New Yorkers are facing.

We thought about this crisis and what we have to get through.

We said, Well, if people can make him around the world, why not us?

Why couldn't we make him?

Even if we've never done it before?

Companies all over the world could make some of these components.

Why couldn't the most innovative city on Earth figure out a way?

So I'm here to announce to you that we have found a way, and starting in a few weeks, we will be producing here in New York City 50,000 test kits per week with components put together right here with companies, universities, New York City workers right here building a brand new supply chain to feed this industry that will now develop in New York City.

50,000 tests per week to begin.

And if we can go farther, we're gonna build it up rapidly.

It means commercial labs and academic institutions in this city work together to produce that liquid solution the right way.

It means local manufacturers and three D printers coming together to make the testing swabs and the tubes something as simple as those testing swabs the entire international market has been struggling because those swabs have been less and less available.

Fact.

A lot of them are made in places that were deep in the middle of the cove.

It crisis themselves, so the whole international supply was disrupted.

But now, through the ingenuity of New York City, producers figured a way to make him right here.

Production will begin in a few weeks beginning of May 50,000 week To begin.

Add that to the 50,000 week from Aria Diagnostics will have 100,000 full test kits per week that New York City can rely on 400,000 per month.

And that's just the beginning.

So we will have to take that new capacity, ensure that there are labs that can handle all those tests and get us results in real time.

And remember, we're gonna need the personnel to administer the test.

We're gonna need the P p ease to protect the personnel who administer the test.

There are a lot of pieces to this equation, and all the while continuing as a city to make the progress we're making through social distancing and shelter in place.

So even while we're building out, this brand new capacity is gonna help us to the next stage.

We will not let her foot off the gas.

We will not relent in the successful strategies there now opening the door to getting out of this horrible crisis.

Hi, everyone.

George Stephanopoulos here.

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