CVS Health to open 11 drive-thru test sites in N.J. on Friday

A CVS Health store in New Jersey.

CVS Health will open 11 COVID-19 test sites at select CVS Pharmacy drive-thru locations across New Jersey on Friday, the company announced.

These new sites will utilize self-swab tests and mark the next phase of the company’s nationwide COVID-19 testing strategy. They will be available to individuals meeting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, in addition to age guidelines.

Patients must register in advance at CVS.com beginning Friday to schedule an appointment. Patients will be required to stay in their cars and directed to the pharmacy drive-thru window, where they will be provided with a test kit and given instructions, and a CVS Pharmacy team member will observe the self-swab process to ensure it is done properly.

Tests will be sent to an independent, third-party lab for processing and the results will be available in approximately three days.

The opening of additional test sites across the state and country will be announced by the end of the month. CVS Health expects to announce additional sites in New Jersey as part of its goal to open 1,000 locations across the country by May 31.

Once fully operational, more than half of the company’s 1,000 test sites will serve communities with the greatest need for support, as measured by the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index, the company said. The index tracks a variety of census variables including poverty, lack of access to transportation and crowded housing that may weaken a community’s ability to prepare for and recover from hazardous events such as natural disasters and disease outbreaks.

The company has set a goal of processing up to 1.5 million tests per month, subject to availability of supplies and lab capacity.

Gov. Phil Murphy has repeatedly stressed the importance of opening more testing sites in the state. These locations, combined with seven sites announced Wednesday by Walmart, will bring the number of sites in the state over 150.

The following locations will be available this Friday:

  • CVS Pharmacy, 1041 Pompton Ave., Cedar Grove ;
  • CVS Pharmacy, 50 W. Madison Ave., Dumont;
  • CVS Pharmacy, 430 Westfield Ave., Elizabeth;
  • CVS Pharmacy, 29-00 Broadway, Route 4, Fair Lawn;
  • CVS Pharmacy, 1000 W. St. Georges Ave., Linden;
  • CVS Pharmacy, 221 Main St., Lodi;
  • CVS Pharmacy, 453 Valley Road, Maplewood;
  • CVS Pharmacy, 440 Bellville Turnpike, North Arlington;
  • CVS Pharmacy, 269A Livingston St., Northvale;
  • CVS Pharmacy, 150 Rochelle Ave., Rochelle Park ;
  • CVS Pharmacy, 1319 Magie Ave., Union.

CVS Health CEO Larry Merlo said this new approach allows the company to utilize its presence in communities across the country and bring testing closer to home.

“Our frontline employees will continue to play a critical role in the testing process, with members of their communities directly benefiting from their dedication and selflessness,” he said.

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