CVS expanding drive-thru testing
CVS Health is expanding its COVID-19 testing capacity in anticipation of apotential second wave of the virus by adding more than 2,000 drive-thru testing sites nationwide for a total of more than 4,000 sites by mid-October, the company announced.
The new locations will open in waves over the next several weeks in 33 states and Washington, D.C.
Of the more than 400 new test sites opening Friday at CVS Pharmacy locations, 27 will be in Pennsylvania, including three Lehigh Valley locations: 4950 Free mans burg Ave. in Bethlehem
Township, 5801 Tilghman St. in Upper Macungie Township and 7001 North Route 309 in Upper Saucon Township.
New test sites just outside the Lehigh Valley will be at 8310 Easton Road in Ottsville and 958 Route 390 in Cresco.
Self-swab tests, available to individuals meeting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, are no cost to patients with insurance or through a program for the uninsured funded by the U.S. Department of Health and HumanServices.
Patients must register in advance at CVS.com to schedule an appointment, and a parent or legal guardian must complete the online registration for minors. Patients ages 12-15 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian when they come to be tested.
When arriving for testing, patients are asked to follow signage or the instructions of the staff on-site. Procedures vary by location and patients may be directed to stay in their cars and proceed to either the pharmacy drive-thru window or a parking space or tent in the parking lot or, in very limited locations, to enter astore. Patients will be provided with a test kit and given instructions, and a CVS Pharmacy team member will observe the selfswab process.
Most test results will be available in two or three days.
After the new test sites open Friday, CVS Health will have 96 COVID-19 test sites in across Pennsylvania.
CVS also has Lehigh Valley testing sites at 2434 Catasauqua Road in Bethlehem; 3519 Nazareth Road in Palmer Township; 3295 Route 100 in Lower Macungie Township; and 6050 Sterners Way in Hanover Township, Northampton County.