CVS Health, in conjunction with federal and state officials, has opened two rapid COVID-19 drive-thru testing sites.
The pharmacy giant said it hopes to perform up to 1,000 tests a day. The sites, in the parking lots at Georgia Tech in Atlanta and at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island, will be conducted using the new Abbott ID NOW COVID-19 test. Positive results can be delivered in as little as five minutes and negative results in as little as 13 minutes. Licensed health care providers from MinuteClinic, CVS’ retail medical clinic, will oversee the testing, which is available at no-cost to patients.
CVS said it using learnings from its first COVID-19 testing site, which opened in the parking lot of a CVS store in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, on 19 March, to maximise the efficiency and safety at these new sites. For example, testing at the new sites will be held in large parking lots that are easily accessible and able to accommodate multiple lanes of cars at one time.
The new sites will be open to all, but in order to receive an appointment for a test, customers will be required to preregister and prequalify online. No one will be admitted without preregistering.
“Our MinuteClinic providers join countless other heroic health care professionals across the country and around the world in forming the first line of defense against this devastating virus,” said Troyen Brennan, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer and Executive VP, CVS Health. “Thanks to our partnerships with state officials and the utilization of advanced technology, our providers will be able to test large numbers of people in these states and make real-time decisions about treatment and appropriate next steps.”
