12 free COVID-19 test sites open at CVS stores in Kansas City area — only in Missouri
CVS Health will open 22 drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites in Missouri on Friday as part of its nationwide campaign to stop the spread of the disease. Twelve of those locations are in the Kansas City metro area.
The testing will be by appointment only. You won’t go into the store, but sit in your car and administer the test — a nasal swab — yourself. A CVS pharmacy employee will watch to make sure you do it correctly.
In April, CVS announced plans to set up 1,000 testing locations across the country by the end of May and has met that goal, company officials said in announcing the new sites.
More than half of the CVS sites will serve communities identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as most in need because of poverty, lack of access to transportation and crowded housing conditions, the company said.
The effort is part of a private-public partnership placing testing sites in hot spots across the country. Walgreens is also offering drive-thru testing as part of the campaign.
“COVID-19 testing is critical to Missouri’s full recovery from this crisis. The more testing we do, the more data and knowledge we have on the situation in Missouri, and the better-equipped we are to move forward,” Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said in noting CVS help on that front.
No testing sites in Kansas were announced, but the company continues to add locations, a company spokeswoman said.
People must meet the CDC’s current criteria for testing, which gives priority to people with symptoms, including a fever, cough, chills and loss of taste or smell. You will be screened for eligibility when you make the appointment. A doctor’s referral is not required.
Insurance is accepted, but if you don’t have insurance the test is paid for through a program funded by the Department of Health and Human Services. There should be no out-of-pocket expense, the CVS spokeswoman said.
You must register in advance at CVS.com beginning Friday to schedule an appointment. The company says tests will be sent to an independent, third-party lab for processing and results will be available in about three days.
A list of all CVS Pharmacy drive-thru test sites can be found on the CVS site. Here are the new testing locations in the area:
▪ 3201 S. Missouri 7 highway, Blue Springs
▪ 1545 E. 23rd St., Independence
▪ 17301 E. U.S. 24, Independence
▪ 1315 W. 23rd St., Independence
▪ 4149 N. Oak Trafficway
▪ 13101 State Line Road
▪ 4990 N.E. Vivion Road
▪ 4750 Lee’s Summit Road
▪ 3351 S.W. Third St., Lee’s Summit
▪ 1301 Platte Falls Road, Platte City
▪ 1215 W. Foxwood Drive, Raymore
▪ 5310 Blue Ridge Blvd., Raytown
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