Rich Hamptons residents are reportedly paying $1,000 for doctors in 'spacesuits' to test them for coronavirus on their doorsteps. ...
Rich Hamptons residents are reportedly paying $1,000 for doctors in 'spacesuits' to test them for coronavirus on their doorsteps.
The wealthy homeowners are said to be getting both diagnostic and antibody tests delivered to their mansions by concierge medical firms.
One medic who runs such a service reportedly has clients including Tommy Hilfiger, Howard Stern and Leon Black, according to Page Six, who broke the news.
Dr Bernard Kruger is the co-founder of Sollis Health. The firm told Page Six that they have experienced a massive demand for antibody tests for members in the Hamptons.
Rich Hamptons residents are reportedly paying up to $1,000 for doctors in 'spacesuits' to test them for coronavirus on their doorsteps (file photo)
The tests are free to members but come with a call-out fee of $1,000.
Their concierge service costs $5,000 for people aged over 45.
Other sources told Page Six that demand for concierge testing had been intense because people do not want to go into medical facilities.
The source added: 'during the early days, when testing was scarce, some people were paying other services $5,000 for a test.'
There have been just over 30,000 cases of coronavirus in Suffolk County, the home of the Hamptons, with 959 confirmed deaths.
The news of the home-delivered tests comes after it emerged that a luxury private island in Florida purchased thousands of coronavirus tests for its private residents and workers.
The wealthy homeowners are said to be getting both diagnostic and antibody tests delivered to their mansions by concierge medical firms. Pictured: File image of medics performing antibody tests in New York on Wednesday
Fisher Island, located off Miami, is the wealthiest zip code in the country, home to multimillion-dollar condos and about 800 families.
It is only accessible by boat or helicopter.
Memberships to the Fisher Island Club cost about $250,000 and the average annual income was $2.5million in 2015, according to Bloomberg.
Notable residents on the island include Hasbro Toys CEO Alan Hassenfeld, Yard House founder Steele Platt, tennis players Caroline Wozniacki and Boris Becker, former NBA player David Lee and Victoria Secret model Karolina Kurkova.
The news of the home-delivered tests comes after it emerged that luxury Fisher Island in Florida purchased thousands of coronavirus tests for its private residents and workers
Oprah Winfrey and Mel Brooks also had homes on the oasis.
The island purchased antibody tests, which are used to determine if someone has been exposed to COVID-19 and if they have developed antibodies to it.
And earlier this month, data from Philadelphia showed that people living in higher-income neighbourhoods have been tested six times more frequently than those in lower income areas.
Epidemiologist Usama Bilal, of Drexel University, is reported by the Inquirer to have made the discovery using data from Philadelphia's public health department.
About 800 families live on the island and officials say over half the residents on island are over age of 60
'What it shows is social inequality,' Bilal said. 'This needs to change.'
'These numbers are deeply disturbing, but not surprising,' Judith Levine, director of the Public Policy Lab at Temple University, told the Inquirer.
'It's hard for anyone to get a test. You need positive symptoms. But even though insurance isn't needed, people with health insurance likely have a relationship with a primary physician they can talk to, who knows where the tests are, and can cut through the red tape for you to get the test.
'That gives higher-income people more access to testing.'
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