In addition to our normal news coverage, What Now Atlanta is tracking ways Atlanta’s businesses are adapting to the novel coronavirus and the challenges it brings to brick-and-mortars.
CVS Health has joined forces with federal and state officials with the opening of a rapid COVID-19 drive-through testing site, at 352 Peachtree Place, on the Georgia Tech campus.
CVS Health will utilize licensed health care providers from MinuteClinic, the company’s retail medical clinic, to oversee the testing, which is currently available at no cost to patients.
“Our MinuteClinic providers join countless other heroic health care professionals across the country and around the world in forming the first line of defense against this devastating virus,” Troyen Brennan, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President, CVS Health, said in a prepared statement Monday.
“Thanks to our partnerships with state officials and the utilization of advanced technology, our providers will be able to test large numbers of people in these states and make real-time decisions about treatment and appropriate next steps.”
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 o COVID-19.
Positive results can be delivered in as little as five minutes and negative results in as little as 13 minutes.
Rapid COVID-19 testing will be available to eligible individuals who meet criteria established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in addition to state residency and age guidelines, according to the release.
Patients will need to pre-register in advance online at CVS.com in order to schedule a same-day time slot for testing.
[Editor’s note: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is rapidly evolving as is its effect on Atlanta, and the City’s businesses and its residents. Click here for What Now Atlanta’s ongoing coverage of the crisis. For guidance and updates on the pandemic, please visit the C.D.C. website.]
