CVS plans to test 1.5 million a month for COVID-19 as sites expand to more states
CVS says its expanding drive-thru coronavirus testing to more states as part of its plan to open 1,000 sites in May.
The company announced in late April its plans to open the 1,000 drive-thru sites, which will use self-swab tests, across the country by the end of May. Last Thursday it said it would open 50 locations in five states that week, with plans to open more than 900 additional ones across the U.S. in the next couple weeks.
The locations the company says opened May 15 were in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
The company has 50 testing locations open as of Thursday, and is taking registrations for tests in eight states, adding Georgia, Rhode Island and Michigan to the list, according to its site.
It plans to continue expanding sites into more states.
CVS Health says its goal is to process up to 1.5 million tests each month, according to the release.
The testing will take place only in parking lots and at drive-thru windows, and none will take place in stores, the release says.
Patients will stay in their cars and will be given a test kit and instructions through the drive-thru window, the release says. A CVS Pharmacy worker will watch the test being completed to make sure it’s done right. The sample will then be sent to a third-party lab, which will have results ready in about three days.
Workers will be wearing personal protective equipment, or PPE, and will follow sanitation protocols after each test, CVS says.
Only those who meet criteria from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be eligible for a test and patients must register ahead of time online, according to the release.
Those in select states who qualify for a test can register for one here.
To register, patients will be required to answer a few questions to determine if they qualify then can select a testing site and time and fill out a registration form.
Patients must live in the state where the test is being offered and must be at least 18 years old, CVS says.
They must also bring identification, proof they live in the state and their test confirmation sent via email or text to the site, according to CVS.
CVS was already operating “large-scale rapid test sites,” in five states, the release says.
“While the large-scale test sites we’ve been operating since early April have proven successful, this new approach allows us to utilize our presence in communities across the country and bring testing closer to home,” Larry J. Merlo, president and CEO of CVS Health, said in the release.
This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 12:27 PM.
