HARRISBURG, Pa. — CVS Pharmacy announced Thursday the opening of 27 additional COVID-19 test sites at select drive-thru locations in Pennsylvania, including a new site in Harrisburg.
The new sites will open Friday, CVS said in a press release. The new site in Harrisburg is located at the CVS Pharmacy on 5001 Jonestown Road, the pharmacy said.
Friday's new sites will bring the pharmacy's total number of testing sites across the state to 36, CVS said.
The new sites will utilize self-swab tests and mark the next phase of the company’s nationwide COVID-19 testing strategy, announced April 27.
CVS Health expects to have up to 1,000 locations across the country offering this service by the end of May, with the goal of processing up to 1.5 million tests per month, subject to availability of supplies and lab capacity.
The 36 test sites in Pennsylvania are part of a total of nearly 350 locations across 14 states including Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas, the company said in a press release.
“As we move into a new phase of combatting the pandemic and as communities begin to safely open up their local economies, we need testing to be easily accessible,” said Troyen Brennan, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President, CVS Health. “By further expanding the number of drive-thru test sites available across our retail network, more people can be tested closer to home in a familiar setting.”
Self-swab tests will be available to individuals meeting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, in addition to age guidelines.
Patients must register in advance at CVS.com beginning Friday to schedule an appointment. Patients will be required to stay in their cars and directed to the pharmacy drive-thru window where they will be provided with a test kit and given instructions, and a CVS Pharmacy team member will observe the self-swab process to ensure it is done properly.
Tests will be sent to an independent, third-party lab for processing and the results will be available in approximately three days.
Testing will not take place inside any retail locations, and CVS Pharmacy, HealthHUB and MinuteClinic will continue to serve customers and patients.
A complete list of CVS Pharmacy drive-thru test sites can be found here.
More information on steps CVS Health has taken to address the COVID-19 pandemic, including support for health care providers and clinicians facing financial and administrative strain, is available at the company's frequently updated COVID-19 resource center.
