Some of these offer free testing to people without insurance. There are dozens of other testing sites around the state, in pharmacies, urgent care centers, and even grocery stores, but availability, cost, and access vary widely. More: Line for Framingham's drive-thru COVID-19 test site stretched to MassPike on Monday Greater Milford is also without a Stop the Spread testing site, with the closest sites in Worcester or Framingham. These sites have had long lines on at least some occasions, and lawmakers have complained of “testing deserts.” There are no testing sites on Cape Cod, for example, and much of Western Massachusetts is without access. As long as a person is a Massachusetts resident, it is completely free, and you don’t have to show symptoms or proof of insurance.
These are characterized as “low-barrier” testing sites. Massachusetts has set up Stop the Spread sites in 18 communities. What if you don’t have insurance? What if you feel fine, but you’re still afraid you could be contagious? Here the answers are a little muddier.
Every agency, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the state to local health boards, say you should get tested, and most insurance companies will pay for the test. If you have symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who tested positive for the virus, your next steps are straightforward. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.Let’s say you broke COVID-19 safety protocols recently, and got too close to someone outside your household bubble.
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. “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.ĭata from Johns Hopkins University shows overall testing numbers trending down in Nevada and New Mexico. Labus thinks the CVS test site locations might help reach a broader demographic. “Any increase in testing is welcome in Southern Nevada, or I would say the rest of the country,” he said.ĬVS says 43 new test sites will be up and running in Nevada, a majority in and around Las Vegas. 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. New Mexico and Nevada are part of the testing expansion in our region.ĭr. According to a press release, the company administered three million tests since March. The move is in part intended to expand access in vulnerable communities.ĬVS Health says it oversees the largest number of independently run COVID-19 test sites in the country. 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. 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.
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