CVS Opens Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing Site At Georgia Tech

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CVS Health is opening a drive-thru coronavirus testing site on the Georgia Tech campus.

CVS Health on Monday opened a drive-thru coronavirus testing site on the Georgia Tech campus.

The launch of the testing site is a joint effort between the pharmacy chain, and state and federal governments in a push to open more drive-thru testing sites throughout the state. CVS opened its first drive-thru testing site March 19 in Massachusetts.

The Georgia Tech site is located at a parking deck on campus and staffed with CVS nurse practitioners and physician assistants from the store's retail medical clinic.

Patients can register in advance at CVS.com to schedule a same-day time slot for testing. Anyone who wants a test must be symptomatic and meet criteria established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The rapid testing will be conducted using the new Abbott ID NOW™ COVID-19 test, which recently received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the fastest available molecular point-of-care test for the detection of COVID-19. Positive results can be delivered in as little as five minutes and negative results in as little as 13 minutes.

The Georgia Tech site can currently accommodate 1,000 patients each day.

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Gov. Brian Kemp said the partnership between CVS and the state is a much-needed one as the demand for testing continues.

"Increased access to rapid testing remains one of our top priorities in order to identify more cases, get Georgians the care they need, and prevent further infection in our communities," Kemp said. "This unique, public-private partnership will strengthen our testing capability as we continue to take the fight to COVID-19 in Georgia, and we are grateful for CVS Health's support to stop the spread of the virus."

Testing has increased in the last several weeks as more drive-thru centers have opened and the state has begun to acquire more testing supplies.

As of 7 p.m. Sunday, there are 6,742 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Georgia. Of those, 219 people have died.