CVS opens four drive-thru testing sites in southern, central Maine

Courtesy / CVS CVS is opening 1,000 drive-thru sites for COVID-19 testing, including sites at four Maine pharmacies.

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By Staff

Four CVS pharmacies in Maine are slated to offer drive-thru tests for COVID-19, beginning Friday.

The pharmacies in Augusta, Biddeford, Portland and South Portland each will be able to test up to about 50 people daily at no out-of-pocket cost. CVS will provide test results in about three days, the company said in a news release.

Testing is available to individuals who meet criteria of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as state and age guidelines. People wishing to be tested must register in advance on the company website, CVS.com, to schedule an appointment.

At the scheduled times, patients will be directed to a pharmacy drive-thru window, where they will be given a self-administered nasal test kit and instructions. Tests will be sent to an independent, third-party lab for processing.

Testing will not be offered inside any CVS pharmacies, the company noted.

The new test sites are among 1,000 such facilities planned for opening by Rhode Island-based CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) by the end of May, according to the release. The company hopes to offer up to 1.5 million tests a month.

"CVS Health has been at the forefront of helping our nation scale-up COVID-19 testing capabilities, and we're proud to meet our goal of establishing 1,000 testing sites in communities across the country," said CVS President and CEO Larry J. Merlo. "Opening access to testing in more locations using our drive-thru window represents an important milestone in our response to the pandemic.”

Gov. Janet Mills said in the release, “Expanded testing is a critical component to protecting the health of Maine people. I welcome this announcement and applaud CVS for creating these drive-through sites, which will make testing more accessible to more people."

The CVS pharmacies offering the new drive-thru tests are at: 24 Stone St., Augusta; 384 Elm St., Biddeford; 111 Auburn Street, Portland; and 51 Market St., South Portland.