As announced on March 13, we’ve been working with the Trump administration and other partners to help facilitate increased frequency and efficiency of COVID-19 testing as part of our multifaceted response to the pandemic. Public-private partnerships are a powerful force, especially in times of need, and all parties have been focused on expanding access to testing as soon as possible.
Today, in close coordination with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Public Health Service, and Governor Charlie Baker’s administration, we’re opening a COVID-19 testing site for a limited population in the parking lot of a CVS Pharmacy in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. It’s important to understand that this is our first site, which means there will likely be issues that arise. Those issues will be addressed immediately and inform the opening of other sites — in CVS Pharmacy parking lots and elsewhere. The goal is to serve as a model for testing.
Testing will initially focus on a critical population: first responders and health care workers. State officials have identified a group of brave women and men who are on the frontlines of the pandemic and have potentially been exposed to COVID-19. The sooner they are tested, the sooner they can continue to help others, in particular the most vulnerable members of our communities.
We understand there will be significant interest from Massachusetts residents in visiting the site and possibly being tested. The site does not, and will not, administer tests on a walk-up or drive-up basis. As the Baker administration has shared, details on screening and potential assignment to a testing site will be forthcoming.
We also understand there will be significant interest from members of the media, many of whom have been working around the clock to keep Americans informed of the latest COVID-19 developments. We’re working with local media to help spread the message of how the testing site will operate, but we’re limiting non-testing onsite activities. As such, we will not provide media access to the secure testing area.
Throughout this process we’ve been encouraged by how quickly everyone has joined forces in the face of significant challenges. We’ve also been amazed by the commitment and selflessness demonstrated by our employees. We’re all in this together.
More information on the steps we’ve already taken to address the COVID-19 pandemic — including waiving charges for home delivery of prescription medications and making diagnostic testing and Aetna-covered telemedicine visits available with no co-pay — is available at our frequently updated COVID-19 resource center.