The State of Georgia has joined forces with CVS Health to increase access to rapid COVID-19 testing. Starting today, CVS will be operating drive-thru rapid COVID-19 testing, offered by Abbott Laboratories, at a site on Georgia Tech’s campus. At full capacity, the site will be able to conduct up to 1,000 tests per day.
To qualify, patients must be residents of Georgia and must go through a screening process and register online. Only those who meet certain criteria or have a referral from a medical professional are eligible to be tested at the site.
Testing is available at no charge to the public. CVS currently offers the service in only one other state, Rhode Island.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced the new public-private partnership with CVS on Monday. He says increased access to rapid testing remains one of the state’s top priorities in order to “identify more cases, get Georgians the care they need, and prevent further infection in our communities.”
“Our ability to help coordinate the availability of rapid COVID-19 testing for Georgia citizens will bolster the state’s efforts to manage the spread of the virus and provide people with on-the-spot test results,” says CVS Health Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Troyen Brennan.
Testing will take place at a parking deck on Georgia Tech’s campus, where officials will be able to accommodate multiple lanes of cars at one time. Health care providers, including nurse practitioners and physician assistants from MinuteClinic, the company’s retail medical clinic, will be onsite to oversee testing. The process will take approximately 30 minutes from specimen collection to delivery of results, and patients will need to pre-register in advance for a same-day appointment online at www.CVS.com/minuteclinic/covid-19-testing.
The testing site will be open seven days a week.
