Free ‘test to treat’ COVID program may get started

If all goes well, consumers will be able to walk into a CVS or Walgreens, get tested for coronavirus and, if the results come back positive, go home with a free course of antiviral medicine under a new “test to treat” program announced by President Joe Biden last week.

Administration officials say they are confident they have sufficient supplies of both the pills and test kits to launch the program in hundreds of pharmacy locations beginning this week. “At this point, we have enough paxlovid and molnupiravir to provide the medications,” said Tom Inglesby, senior adviser to the White House COVID response team, referring to the two antiviral drugs.