In an attempt to expand statewide testing efforts, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) announced the opening of an additional 17 drive-through testing sites at CVS pharmacies across the state Thursday.
“Following our announcement that Maryland has reached a critical milestone in its long-term COVID-19 testing strategy by dramatically expanding the availability of testing for residents, these new, additional sites are another important step to further increase testing access for communities across Maryland,” Hogan said in a statement.
On Tuesday, the governor signed an executive order allowing pharmacies to begin administering COVID-19 tests and announced that appointment-free testing will be offered throughout the state beginning this week, including at the Timonium Fairgrounds in Baltimore County, which will begin offering COVID-19 testing for even asymptomatic individuals without a doctor’s note from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday.
This week’s new COVID-19 testing initiatives are an effort to expand upon the state’s “long-term testing strategy.”
“We will continue working closely with CVS Health and all of our partners in the private sector, along with Maryland’s world-class health care systems and local governments, to protect residents’ health and safety and support our state’s safe and gradual recovery,” said Hogan.
This CVS testing is targeted at individuals who live in communities with the greatest needs as measured by the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index, which was created using U.S. Census data to target necessary services to communities that may need support in the event of a crisis.
The 17 Maryland-based CVS pharmacies will join over 300 other company locations across the country in offering self-swab COVID-19 tests across 14 states. Maryland locations are:
- CVS Pharmacy, 2600 Annapolis Road, Severn, MD 21076
- CVS Pharmacy, 157 Ritchie Highway, Severna Park, MD 21146
- CVS Pharmacy, 9519 Philadelphia Road, Baltimore, MD 21237
- CVS Pharmacy, 2560 West Franklin Street, Baltimore, MD 21223
- CVS Pharmacy, 6040 Sykesville Road, Eldersburg, MD 21784
- CVS Pharmacy, 4200 Altamont Place, White Plains, MD 20695
- CVS Pharmacy, 8032 Liberty Road, Frederick, MD 21701
- CVS Pharmacy, 5414 Rotary Avenue, New Market, MD 21774
- CVS Pharmacy, 8197 Westside Boulevard, Fulton, MD 20759
- CVS Pharmacy, 7809 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814
- CVS Pharmacy, 799 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852
- CVS Pharmacy, 12215 Darnestown Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20878
- CVS Pharmacy, 8201 Annapolis Road, New Carrollton, MD 20784
- CVS Pharmacy, 7600 SE Crain Highway, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
- CVS Pharmacy, 4840 Marlboro Pike, Capitol Heights, MD 20743
- CVS Pharmacy, 5100 Brown Station Road, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
- CVS Pharmacy, 12001 Coastal Highway, Ocean City, MD 21842
According to a news release, the company’s self-swab tests will be available to those who meet the CDC’s vulnerability index criteria or age guidelines. Individuals seeking tests must register for an appointment, which they can do online beginning Friday.
Once given an appointment, patients will be directed to remain in their cars and drive up to a window to receive their self-swab tests and instructions. CVS employees will oversee the self-swab to ensure that it is done correctly. Completed tests will be sent to independent labs, and results will be made available within three days.
Testing services will not be available inside CVS stores, but pharmacies and clinics offered at company locations will continue to operate.
“While the large-scale test sites we’ve been operating since early April have proven successful, this new approach allows us to utilize our presence in communities across the country and bring testing closer to home,” said Larry J. Merlo, president and CEO of CVS Health, in a statement. “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.”
Hannah Gaskill
Reporter
Hannah Gaskill was a reporter for Maryland Matters. She left the publication in May 2022. Gaskill received her master’s of journalism degree in December 2019 from the University of Maryland. She previously worked on the print layout design team at The Diamondback, reported on criminal justice in Maryland for Capital News Service and served as a production assistant for The Confluence — the daily news magazine on 90.5 WESA, Pittsburgh’s NPR member station. Gaskill has had bylines in The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post and The Chicago Tribune, among other publications. Before pursuing journalism, she received her bachelor’s of fine art degree from Carnegie Mellon University in 2016. She grew up in Ocean City.
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