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Boise State Public Radio News is here to keep you current on the news surrounding COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

CVS Ramps Up Drive-Through COVID-19 Testing

Russell Tate
/
United Nations COVID-19 Response

Retailer CVS announced plans last week to double its COVID-19 drive-through test sites at locations across the U.S., including in two Mountain West states.

The company says it expects 2,000 additional sites to be up and running by mid-October, with self-swab test results available within two to three days. The move is in part intended to expand access in vulnerable communities. 

CVS Health says it oversees the largest number of independently run COVID-19 test sites in the country. According to a press release, the company administered three million tests since March.

New Mexico and Nevada are part of the testing expansion in our region.

Dr. Brian Labus, who specializes in epidemiological surveillance at the School of Public Health at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, says he’s encouraged by the news.  

“Any increase in testing is welcome in Southern Nevada, or I would say the rest of the country,” he said. 

CVS says 43 new test sites will be up and running in Nevada, a majority in and around Las Vegas. 

Labus thinks the CVS test site locations might help reach a broader demographic. 

“This will put testing in the communities where people live right now, so it should make access easier for people that have had challenges in the past,” he said. 

Data from Johns Hopkins University shows overall testing numbers trending down in Nevada and New Mexico.

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana, KUNC in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Copyright 2021 KUNR Public Radio. To see more, visit KUNR Public Radio.

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Beau grew up listening to public radio on the Palouse. He is a former host, reporter, producer and engineer for Montana Public Radio in Missoula. As a reporter, he is interested in stories that address issues and perspectives unique to living in the West.

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