The family of first-grader Rose Dixon recently learned a rapid COVID-19 test kit is not that useful if it spends days trying to find one.

“I had to miss school for a whole week because Luna’s not feeling well,” Dixon said.

“Website after website, there were tests totally unavailable," Rose's mother, Angela Dixon of Ulster County, said. “We only had one rapid test at home, and we were lucky that we had it. My daughter tested positive but since we couldn’t find any more rapid tests, we’ve been desperately looking for a place for testing.”

Then, the mother and daughter came to a new state-run PCR testing center that opened Tuesday at the state University at New Paltz.

Gov. Kathy Hochul recently announced the state is opening several PCR COVID-19 testing sites this month.

They're already located on state university campuses, including in New Paltz, Albany, Stony Brook, Buffalo, Oswego, Binghamton, Plattsburgh, Cortland and Oneonta. Some have been taking appointments and limited walk-ins since Jan. 7.

“It’s been extremely difficult to get a test in Ulster County,” said Aaron Rudder of New Paltz, a kindergarten teacher who said he was seeking a test for the sixth time in the last two weeks.

He said he and his girlfriend once waited hours to get tested, and he's glad the new centers are opening.

On Tuesday, Rudder was in and out.

“Thankful for our state and local governments, that they’re being preemptive, acting accordingly with this surge," Rudder said. "Thankful that it’s easy for me to go get a test, and hopeful it’s easy for everybody who’s in close contact or at risk.”

A representative with Quadrant Biosciences, the Syracuse company teaming up with the state to set up these testing centers, said they’ve established 10 centers so far, and they’ll have 30 running by the end of next week.

He said they’ll continue to exist for as long as the governor says they’re necessary.