CVS Health said Thursday it would double its drive-thru testing sites for the coronavirus strain Covid-19 to 4,000 while Walgreens confirmed plans to expand its testing to include employers.
CVS Thursday expects to have more than 4,000 new Covid-19 testing sites “operating by mid-October.” The plan, beginning with the opening of more than 400 sites Friday, will build on sites already in 33 states and Washington, D.C., the company said.
“Since opening our first test site in March, we’ve been able to quickly adapt to the changing landscape in order to make it easier for people in the communities we serve to access testing,” CVS Health chief operating officer Jon Roberts said.
Walgreens program, called “Test & Protect,” opens up access to the giant drugstore chain’s Covid-19 testing sites to employers across the country. Walgreens recently expanded to 220 Covid-19 testing sites across country that are generally outside of the drugstores in parking lots and other areas.
Walgreens said it has performed about 1 million tests since its Covid-19 diagnostic effort began in March when it was largely for frontline healthcare workers. Over the course of the pandemic, Walgreens, like other drugstore chains CVS Health, Walmart and Rite Aid, has opened up Covid-19 testing to those who meet with guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and Americans have flocked to such sites outside drugstores and their nearby parking lots.
“The (employer) program is part of Walgreens’ latest expansion of Covid-19 testing, which also includes increased capacity across its testing sites to allow for more than 500,000 Covid-19 tests per month,” Walgreens said in a statement. “The program will also provide businesses and universities with clinical guidance to aid in their work plans and strategies, including ongoing preventive care services such as flu and other Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-recommended immunizations.”
Walgreens and CVS are the latest companies to expand testing to a broader population of potential customers as cases of the virus slow somewhat across the U.S. and businesses, schools and employers look for new ways to test and return to a new normal. Walgreens said the additional testing capacity should enable the “vast majority of patients” to get their test results within 24 to 72 hours.
“Since the onset of the pandemic, we’ve been focused on providing a safe environment for our customers and team members, and we’re proud to bring our COVID-19 testing resources and expertise to businesses in the community as part of our latest expansion,” Walgreens senior vice president of pharmacy, Rick Gates, said. “Working closely with our lab partners, we’re also increasing testing capacity to help ensure timely results for our patients, while also improving access to testing in many communities we serve.”
