CVS begins COVID-19 testing in Missouri

Starting today (May 29) CVS Health is offering COVID-19 drive-through testing at 22 pharmacy locations in Missouri. The sites will use self-swab tests. Their goal is to process up to 1.5 million tests per month across the country.

Larry J. Merlo, President and CEO, CVS Health, said, “Opening access to testing in more locations using our drive-thru window represents an important milestone in our response to the pandemic. We remain grateful for the daily efforts and sacrifices of our front-line colleagues who make the continued expansion of our testing possible.”

More than half of the company’s 1,000 test sites will serve communities with the greatest need for support, as measured by the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index. The index tracks a variety of census variables including poverty, lack of access to transportation, and crowded housing that may weaken a community’s ability to prepare for and recover from hazardous events like natural disasters and disease outbreaks.

Self-swab tests will be available to individuals meeting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, in addition to state and age guidelines. Patients must register in advance at CVS.com beginning Friday, May 29 to schedule an appointment. CVS will be accepting insurance at the drive-thru test sites. Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act approved by Congress, a CVS spokesperson said patients should not have any out of pocket costs with their insurance. Uninsured patients will be covered under a program funded by the Department of Health and Human Services.

At their appointment, patients will be required to stay in their cars and will be 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.