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CVS is ramping up free COVID-19 testing in Arizonawith 10 new drive-thru test sites opening Friday.

Free self-swab testing will be available at up to 1,000 CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide by the end of May — accounting for more than 1 in 10 of the company’s U.S. stores. The 10 Arizona sites are among the first to open, alongside 41 additional locations in Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, the company said Thursday. More Arizona locations will be announced over the next two weeks. 

Here are the 10 new CVS Pharmacy drive-thru test sites:

  • 750 E. Broadway Road, Tempe.
  • 5975 W. Chandler Boulevard.
  • 6015 E. Brown Road, Mesa.
  • 3170 S. Higley Road, Gilbert.
  • 10707 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix.
  • 3832 E. Speedway Blvd., Tucson.
  • 14672 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., Scottsdale.
  • 4430 E. Ray Road, Phoenix.
  • 8920 E. Tanque Verde Road, Tucson.
  • 10650 N. Oracle Road, Oro Valley.

People can schedule a test appointment online starting Friday. Individuals can get tested if they meet U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria.  

Patients will go to the drive-thru window, where they’ll be handed a test kit for self-swabbing. A pharmacist will watch to ensure swabbing is done correctly. Tests will then be sent to a third-party lab and results will be available in around three days. 

CVS will accept insurance at the drive-thru, but patients should not have any out-of-pocket costs. Uninsured patients will be covered by a program funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, according to spokeswoman Monica Prinzing.

CVS has been operating large-scale test sites in Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan and Rhode Island since March. Most of those parking lot sites complete 1,000 tests per day, the company said. 

This expansion will allow for broader community testing, according to CVS. Its goal is to process up to 1.5 million tests per month, subject to change based on testing supplies and lab processing capacity.  

The company hopes its testing expansion can target “minorities (who) have been disproportionately impacted by the virus,” according to a company statement. CVS hopes its new test sites, in addition to mobile testing in the future, will be able to improve testing accessibility for underserved communities.  

“Our industry has been united by the unique role we can play in addressing the pandemic and protecting people’s health,” said Larry J. Merlo, CVS president and CEO. “We all share the same goal, and that’s dramatically increasing the frequency and efficiency of testing so we can slow the spread of the virus and start to responsibly reopen the economy when experts tell us it’s safe.” 

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Reach the reporter at [email protected] or at 602-444-4282. Follow her on Twitter @alisteinbach.

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